News: IM: No longer a haven from spam
IM vulnerable
Spammers have long considered e-mail their preferred medium for a variety of reasons. It costs little or nothing to produce. Its processes are easily automated, and despite a growing array of defenses aimed at shutting it out, delivery is all but guaranteed.
Instant messenger may be just as susceptible to marketing come-ons, according to spam watchers. They say it offers sufficient convenience and vulnerability to raise the specter of a major new front in the spam war.
In addition, the popularity of instant chat has made IM services and their millions of users prime targets. According to research firm Jupiter Media Metrix, Yahoo Messenger had 17.8 million unique U.S. users in January 2002, up 57 percent from the previous year. Other services including MSN Messenger and AOL Instant Messenger also have been growing. ICQ Messenger was the only major service to register a decrease in users, according to Jupiter, falling to 8.4 million users last January from 9 million users in January 2001.
http://zdnet.com.com/2100-1106-857658.html
Wednesday, March 13, 2002
Tuesday, March 12, 2002
Money Follows Power in Fund - Raising
``Fund raising is as much about the present as the future. Groups are trying to influence what Congress does now, not just who the voters elect in November,'' Sabato said.
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/national/AP-Congress-Fund-Raising.html
``Fund raising is as much about the present as the future. Groups are trying to influence what Congress does now, not just who the voters elect in November,'' Sabato said.
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/national/AP-Congress-Fund-Raising.html
Israeli Army Fires on Journalists
RAMALLAH, West Bank (AP) -- Israeli forces fired for 10 to 15 minutes from tank-mounted machine guns on a hotel where journalists were photographing armor targeting the al-Amari refugee camp early Tuesday.
No one was injured in the shooting, which sprayed the glass-enclosed stairwell and nearby rooms where about 40 journalists were working. An ABC television camera left running on a tripod when the journalists took cover was hit by seven bullets -- one directly in the lens.
The army said the tanks were returning fire from a gunman located somewhere on the upper floors of the hotel and that they were unaware journalists were working from the building. ``It was dark,'' a spokesperson said. An investigation was continuing, the army said.
The reporters said there were no gunmen in the four-story New City Inn, where about 40 television and photo journalists covering the army assault on al-Amari were working from the upper floor.
``If there is a gunman, I would not stay in the building for one minute,'' said ABC television news producer Nasser Atta, who has 13 years experience covering conflicts in the Middle East.
The journalists, working mostly for U.S. and European media outlets, had chosen the hotel some 300-400 yards from the camp's perimeter because it was well-situated to observe the army assault without being caught in the cross fire, Atta said. All the rooms were occupied by journalists, except for four rented to a Swedish company, he said.
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/international/AP-Israel-Journalists.html
RAMALLAH, West Bank (AP) -- Israeli forces fired for 10 to 15 minutes from tank-mounted machine guns on a hotel where journalists were photographing armor targeting the al-Amari refugee camp early Tuesday.
No one was injured in the shooting, which sprayed the glass-enclosed stairwell and nearby rooms where about 40 journalists were working. An ABC television camera left running on a tripod when the journalists took cover was hit by seven bullets -- one directly in the lens.
The army said the tanks were returning fire from a gunman located somewhere on the upper floors of the hotel and that they were unaware journalists were working from the building. ``It was dark,'' a spokesperson said. An investigation was continuing, the army said.
The reporters said there were no gunmen in the four-story New City Inn, where about 40 television and photo journalists covering the army assault on al-Amari were working from the upper floor.
``If there is a gunman, I would not stay in the building for one minute,'' said ABC television news producer Nasser Atta, who has 13 years experience covering conflicts in the Middle East.
The journalists, working mostly for U.S. and European media outlets, had chosen the hotel some 300-400 yards from the camp's perimeter because it was well-situated to observe the army assault without being caught in the cross fire, Atta said. All the rooms were occupied by journalists, except for four rented to a Swedish company, he said.
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/international/AP-Israel-Journalists.html
Sunday, March 10, 2002
Business of National Pastime Is Unpatriotic
By refusing to share, with the rest of the American business community, the secret of their greatest discovery: how to lose millions year after year, stay in business and even double their revenue.
Such selfish secrecy can only be called unpatriotic.
What with the war against international terrorism, our first recession in a decade, rising unemployment, increasing business failures, record bankruptcies (including a giant like Enron), falling stock prices and new pressures on workers and industries from global competition — at a time like this, they have found a unique formula for success through failure, which can be maintained indefinitely.
And they won't tell the rest of us how they do it?
http://www.nytimes.com/2002/03/10/sports/baseball/10KOPP.html
By refusing to share, with the rest of the American business community, the secret of their greatest discovery: how to lose millions year after year, stay in business and even double their revenue.
Such selfish secrecy can only be called unpatriotic.
What with the war against international terrorism, our first recession in a decade, rising unemployment, increasing business failures, record bankruptcies (including a giant like Enron), falling stock prices and new pressures on workers and industries from global competition — at a time like this, they have found a unique formula for success through failure, which can be maintained indefinitely.
And they won't tell the rest of us how they do it?
http://www.nytimes.com/2002/03/10/sports/baseball/10KOPP.html
Saturday, March 09, 2002
Will Fingerprinting Stand Up in Court?
\In 1993, when the Supreme Court demanded real scientific standards for expert evidence in federal courts, some critics correctly anticipated that several criminal identification techniques would be attacked in the courts with some success: microscopic hair comparison, bite mark analysis, handwriting comparison. Few, if any, predicted what is happening now: The bedrock forensic identifier of the 20th century, fingerprinting, has started to wobble.
http://www.nytimes.com/2002/03/09/opinion/09SCHE.html
\In 1993, when the Supreme Court demanded real scientific standards for expert evidence in federal courts, some critics correctly anticipated that several criminal identification techniques would be attacked in the courts with some success: microscopic hair comparison, bite mark analysis, handwriting comparison. Few, if any, predicted what is happening now: The bedrock forensic identifier of the 20th century, fingerprinting, has started to wobble.
http://www.nytimes.com/2002/03/09/opinion/09SCHE.html
Taking Our Liberties
War without end is likely to have — indeed is already having — profound consequences for the American constitutional system. It tends to produce the very thing that the framers of the Constitution most feared: concentrated, unaccountable political power.
The framers sought in three ways to prevent that concentration. They divided power in the federal government, so that one branch could check another if it grew too mighty. They made government accountable to the people, who, in James Madison's words, had "the censorial power . . . over the government." And, in the first 10 amendments to the Constitution, they guaranteed specific rights like freedom of speech and due process of law.
All three of those constitutional bulwarks against concentrated power are now threatened.
War inevitably produces an exaltation of presidential power. The president is commander in chief of the armed forces — a distinctive feature of the American system — and in wartime people tend to fall in behind the commander. The horror of what happened on Sept. 11 intensifies that instinct.
President Bush's high level of public support is not surprising.
The danger lies in political use of that wartime popularity. Last week the Senate majority leader, Tom Daschle, offered a first mild question about President Bush's plans to carry the war around the world. He was rebuked by the Republican leader, Trent Lott.
"How dare Senator Daschle criticize President Bush while we are fighting our war on terrorism?" Senator Lott asked. His crude attack showed how hard it will be to maintain the Constitution's premise of accountable government, subject to questioning and criticism, during a war without visible end.
http://www.nytimes.com/2002/03/09/opinion/09LEWI.htmlberties
War without end is likely to have — indeed is already having — profound consequences for the American constitutional system. It tends to produce the very thing that the framers of the Constitution most feared: concentrated, unaccountable political power.
The framers sought in three ways to prevent that concentration. They divided power in the federal government, so that one branch could check another if it grew too mighty. They made government accountable to the people, who, in James Madison's words, had "the censorial power . . . over the government." And, in the first 10 amendments to the Constitution, they guaranteed specific rights like freedom of speech and due process of law.
All three of those constitutional bulwarks against concentrated power are now threatened.
War inevitably produces an exaltation of presidential power. The president is commander in chief of the armed forces — a distinctive feature of the American system — and in wartime people tend to fall in behind the commander. The horror of what happened on Sept. 11 intensifies that instinct.
President Bush's high level of public support is not surprising.
The danger lies in political use of that wartime popularity. Last week the Senate majority leader, Tom Daschle, offered a first mild question about President Bush's plans to carry the war around the world. He was rebuked by the Republican leader, Trent Lott.
"How dare Senator Daschle criticize President Bush while we are fighting our war on terrorism?" Senator Lott asked. His crude attack showed how hard it will be to maintain the Constitution's premise of accountable government, subject to questioning and criticism, during a war without visible end.
http://www.nytimes.com/2002/03/09/opinion/09LEWI.htmlberties
Going Beyond Mere Facts in the Study of History
History is hard to teach because students will not remember facts without a context, but they cannot comprehend the context without knowing the facts. As Mrs. Cheney suggests, if we all learn common facts, we can have a common conversation. But most of us learn facts only in the process of answering questions we find important. So good instruction draws students into historical controversies that they cannot solve without mastering the details of actors and events.
Sam Wineburg, a professor at the University of Washington, explores this conundrum in "Historical Thinking and Other Unnatural Acts" (Temple University Press, 2001), which was called the year's best book by the Association of American Colleges and Universities. Dr. Wineburg says the study of history should lead to empathy with historical figures, much as the study of literature explores human dilemmas by weighing the practical pressures that characters experience as well as absolute ethical values.
Dr. Wineburg shows how students can join debates of adult historians about whether Abraham Lincoln had views that would now be considered racist. On some occasions as a candidate and president, Lincoln suggested that slaves, even when freed, should not have full civil rights.
Dr. Wineburg urges the use of original sources — letters and speeches — to help students imagine a world whose moral framework was different from today's. Such inquiry, which can engage students, raises problems that even philosophers cannot solve.
http://www.nytimes.com/2002/03/06/education/06LESS.html
History is hard to teach because students will not remember facts without a context, but they cannot comprehend the context without knowing the facts. As Mrs. Cheney suggests, if we all learn common facts, we can have a common conversation. But most of us learn facts only in the process of answering questions we find important. So good instruction draws students into historical controversies that they cannot solve without mastering the details of actors and events.
Sam Wineburg, a professor at the University of Washington, explores this conundrum in "Historical Thinking and Other Unnatural Acts" (Temple University Press, 2001), which was called the year's best book by the Association of American Colleges and Universities. Dr. Wineburg says the study of history should lead to empathy with historical figures, much as the study of literature explores human dilemmas by weighing the practical pressures that characters experience as well as absolute ethical values.
Dr. Wineburg shows how students can join debates of adult historians about whether Abraham Lincoln had views that would now be considered racist. On some occasions as a candidate and president, Lincoln suggested that slaves, even when freed, should not have full civil rights.
Dr. Wineburg urges the use of original sources — letters and speeches — to help students imagine a world whose moral framework was different from today's. Such inquiry, which can engage students, raises problems that even philosophers cannot solve.
http://www.nytimes.com/2002/03/06/education/06LESS.html
Going Beyond Mere Facts in the Study of History
History is hard to teach because students will not remember facts without a context, but they cannot comprehend the context without knowing the facts. As Mrs. Cheney suggests, if we all learn common facts, we can have a common conversation. But most of us learn facts only in the process of answering questions we find important. So good instruction draws students into historical controversies that they cannot solve without mastering the details of actors and events.
Sam Wineburg, a professor at the University of Washington, explores this conundrum in "Historical Thinking and Other Unnatural Acts" (Temple University Press, 2001), which was called the year's best book by the Association of American Colleges and Universities. Dr. Wineburg says the study of history should lead to empathy with historical figures, much as the study of literature explores human dilemmas by weighing the practical pressures that characters experience as well as absolute ethical values.
Dr. Wineburg shows how students can join debates of adult historians about whether Abraham Lincoln had views that would now be considered racist. On some occasions as a candidate and president, Lincoln suggested that slaves, even when freed, should not have full civil rights.
Dr. Wineburg urges the use of original sources — letters and speeches — to help students imagine a world whose moral framework was different from today's. Such inquiry, which can engage students, raises problems that even philosophers cannot solve.
http://www.nytimes.com/2002/03/06/education/06LESS.html
History is hard to teach because students will not remember facts without a context, but they cannot comprehend the context without knowing the facts. As Mrs. Cheney suggests, if we all learn common facts, we can have a common conversation. But most of us learn facts only in the process of answering questions we find important. So good instruction draws students into historical controversies that they cannot solve without mastering the details of actors and events.
Sam Wineburg, a professor at the University of Washington, explores this conundrum in "Historical Thinking and Other Unnatural Acts" (Temple University Press, 2001), which was called the year's best book by the Association of American Colleges and Universities. Dr. Wineburg says the study of history should lead to empathy with historical figures, much as the study of literature explores human dilemmas by weighing the practical pressures that characters experience as well as absolute ethical values.
Dr. Wineburg shows how students can join debates of adult historians about whether Abraham Lincoln had views that would now be considered racist. On some occasions as a candidate and president, Lincoln suggested that slaves, even when freed, should not have full civil rights.
Dr. Wineburg urges the use of original sources — letters and speeches — to help students imagine a world whose moral framework was different from today's. Such inquiry, which can engage students, raises problems that even philosophers cannot solve.
http://www.nytimes.com/2002/03/06/education/06LESS.html
Friday, March 08, 2002
ZDNet: Tech Update: Security / The biggest flaw you never saw
A few days ago, Microsoft announced a security hole in its version of the Java Virtual Machine (JVM). According to reports at the time, malicious code could be installed into the JVM that could report what Web sites had been visited or what names and passwords you'd entered. The reports were partly wrong.
First of all, the JVM vulnerability wasn't limited to Microsoft; it covered all JVMs, across many operating systems and distributions. The risk was therefore a lot greater than the reports would indicate. Second, by the time you heard about the problem, it was already fixed; Microsoft, Sun, and every other vendor that was distributing JVM code had already received the patches, integrated them, and had made them available to its users.
http://techupdate.zdnet.com/techupdate/stories/main/0,14179,2853211,00.html
A few days ago, Microsoft announced a security hole in its version of the Java Virtual Machine (JVM). According to reports at the time, malicious code could be installed into the JVM that could report what Web sites had been visited or what names and passwords you'd entered. The reports were partly wrong.
First of all, the JVM vulnerability wasn't limited to Microsoft; it covered all JVMs, across many operating systems and distributions. The risk was therefore a lot greater than the reports would indicate. Second, by the time you heard about the problem, it was already fixed; Microsoft, Sun, and every other vendor that was distributing JVM code had already received the patches, integrated them, and had made them available to its users.
http://techupdate.zdnet.com/techupdate/stories/main/0,14179,2853211,00.html
News: Computer spy methods found in LED lights
By monitoring the flashes of LED lights on electronics equipment and the indirect glow from monitors, scientists in the United States and the United Kingdom have discovered ways to remotely eavesdrop on computer data.
Optical signals from the little flashing LED (light-emitting diode) lights, usually red and dotting everything from modems to keyboards and routers, can be captured with a telescope and processed to reveal all the data passing through the device, Joe Loughry, a computer programmer at Lockheed Martin Space Systems in Denver, told Reuters on Wednesday.
http://zdnet.com.com/2100-11-854350.html
By monitoring the flashes of LED lights on electronics equipment and the indirect glow from monitors, scientists in the United States and the United Kingdom have discovered ways to remotely eavesdrop on computer data.
Optical signals from the little flashing LED (light-emitting diode) lights, usually red and dotting everything from modems to keyboards and routers, can be captured with a telescope and processed to reveal all the data passing through the device, Joe Loughry, a computer programmer at Lockheed Martin Space Systems in Denver, told Reuters on Wednesday.
http://zdnet.com.com/2100-11-854350.html
Bush Officials End Support of Sharon's Tough Stance
In interviews, officials said the administration decided on Tuesday that it had to respond strongly to Mr. Sharon, lest the Israeli prime minister interpret Washington's silence as implicit permission to intensify the conflict or declare an all-out war.
"We had to make clear to him that there is simply no evidence that approach will succeed," an official involved in the discussion said. "At a minimum, it is a policy that will not work; more likely it will be counterproductive."
That determination led Secretary of State Colin L. Powell to tell a House subcommittee today that the prime minister "has to take a hard look at his policies to see whether they will work."
Then, in a pointed statement that senior Administration officials prepared late Tuesday, Secretary Powell added, "If you declare war against the Palestinians thinking that you can solve the problem by seeing how many Palestinians can be killed, I don't know that that leads us anywhere."
http://www.nytimes.com/2002/03/07/international/middleeast/07DIPL.html
In interviews, officials said the administration decided on Tuesday that it had to respond strongly to Mr. Sharon, lest the Israeli prime minister interpret Washington's silence as implicit permission to intensify the conflict or declare an all-out war.
"We had to make clear to him that there is simply no evidence that approach will succeed," an official involved in the discussion said. "At a minimum, it is a policy that will not work; more likely it will be counterproductive."
That determination led Secretary of State Colin L. Powell to tell a House subcommittee today that the prime minister "has to take a hard look at his policies to see whether they will work."
Then, in a pointed statement that senior Administration officials prepared late Tuesday, Secretary Powell added, "If you declare war against the Palestinians thinking that you can solve the problem by seeing how many Palestinians can be killed, I don't know that that leads us anywhere."
http://www.nytimes.com/2002/03/07/international/middleeast/07DIPL.html
Wednesday, March 06, 2002
Editorial Roundup
Al-Ahram, Cairo, on Israel's war crimes:
At the time when the Palestinian Authority and major Arab countries support the Saudi peace initiative, Israeli occupation forces widen their acts of killing, destruction and terrorism within a military plan that aims to spread chaos in the region and eliminate any hope to positively deal with the Saudi initiative.
The absolute UN silence to what is going on in the Palestinian territories seems very extraneous since these acts are considered by the UN Charter as crimes of an occupier against a nation that struggles to liberate its national soil and decides its destiny.
The big powers that drafted the UN Charter, especially the U.S., have not rejected the occupying state's aggression, yet Washington uses the veto power against providing protection to the Palestinian people or even sending international observers to the occupied territories.
Under such circumstances, the Palestinian people have no choice but to continue the struggle to expel the occupying forces and liberate its land. The big powers and the UN will be solely responsible for what is going on in the Middle East as things seem to be on the verge of explosion.
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/national/AP-Editorial-Rdp.html?pagewanted=all&position=top
Al-Ahram, Cairo, on Israel's war crimes:
At the time when the Palestinian Authority and major Arab countries support the Saudi peace initiative, Israeli occupation forces widen their acts of killing, destruction and terrorism within a military plan that aims to spread chaos in the region and eliminate any hope to positively deal with the Saudi initiative.
The absolute UN silence to what is going on in the Palestinian territories seems very extraneous since these acts are considered by the UN Charter as crimes of an occupier against a nation that struggles to liberate its national soil and decides its destiny.
The big powers that drafted the UN Charter, especially the U.S., have not rejected the occupying state's aggression, yet Washington uses the veto power against providing protection to the Palestinian people or even sending international observers to the occupied territories.
Under such circumstances, the Palestinian people have no choice but to continue the struggle to expel the occupying forces and liberate its land. The big powers and the UN will be solely responsible for what is going on in the Middle East as things seem to be on the verge of explosion.
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/national/AP-Editorial-Rdp.html?pagewanted=all&position=top
Tuesday, March 05, 2002
ZDNet: Tech Update: Platforms/OS / Is Microsoft a monopoly? That's the wrong question
There is nothing illegal or improper about monopolies or a lack of competition. The crux of original antitrust law was whether a monopoly or a lack of competition is being used to harm or damage the consumer. In this regard, Microsoft comes out pretty well, as there was no evidence of price gouging, inflated costs, or any other damage to the consumer. However, today the watchword has become competition. Supposedly, the lack of competition is always bad. This is a ridiculous position. Many monopolies have existed, with and without regulation, for decades without any antitrust implications.
a href="http://techupdate.zdnet.com/techupdate/stories/main/0,14179,2851975,00.html">ZDNethttp://techupdate.zdnet.com/techupdate/stories/main/0,14179,2851975,00.html
There is nothing illegal or improper about monopolies or a lack of competition. The crux of original antitrust law was whether a monopoly or a lack of competition is being used to harm or damage the consumer. In this regard, Microsoft comes out pretty well, as there was no evidence of price gouging, inflated costs, or any other damage to the consumer. However, today the watchword has become competition. Supposedly, the lack of competition is always bad. This is a ridiculous position. Many monopolies have existed, with and without regulation, for decades without any antitrust implications.
a href="http://techupdate.zdnet.com/techupdate/stories/main/0,14179,2851975,00.html">ZDNethttp://techupdate.zdnet.com/techupdate/stories/main/0,14179,2851975,00.html
Online Kit Lets Even Novices Create Viruses
Security vendors are warning of a new Web site that contains a simple virus-generating kit that would enable even the most inexperienced computer user to create and release a virus.
http://www.eweek.com/article/0,3658,s=1884&a=23503,00.asp
Security vendors are warning of a new Web site that contains a simple virus-generating kit that would enable even the most inexperienced computer user to create and release a virus.
http://www.eweek.com/article/0,3658,s=1884&a=23503,00.asp
Sunday, March 03, 2002
The New York Times on the Web
A Chart of the Death Toll in the Mideast by Month
http://www.nytimes.com/images/2002/03/03/international/020303_for_MIDEASTch.html
A Chart of the Death Toll in the Mideast by Month
http://www.nytimes.com/images/2002/03/03/international/020303_for_MIDEASTch.html
Saturday, March 02, 2002
In the latest barrage, John Whitehead, president of the Rutherford Institute, called the Act the "get out of jail free card for the government."
"It's the bureaucrat's dream in terms of what can be done under it," said Whitehead, a constitutional watchdog and author of "Forfeiting 'Enduring Freedom' for 'Homeland Security,'" an analysis of the Justice Department's anti-terrorism initiatives.
Civil Liberties Groups Challenge USA Patriot Act -- 01/21/2002
Lawmakers passed the Act, an acronym for "Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism," immediately after Sept. 11, and before the full text of the proposal was available to lawmakers.
Moreover, lawmakers did not take sufficient time to debate or hear testimony from experts outside of law enforcement in the fields where it makes major changes, analysts said.
"This thing was put together so quickly after 9-11, when there was hysteria and congressmen were afraid to say anything against it," Whitehead said. "There wasn't any debate on this subject."
The act unnecessarily impinges upon Fourth Amendment protections against search and seizure violations because it significantly changes how search warrants are executed, Whitehead said. Previously, the government needed a warrant before law enforcement officials could enter a house and search an individual's property and documents.
Now police can delay giving notice when conducting searches in any criminal case, allowing them to search homes and offices when the occupants are not there and telling them about it after the fact.
http://www.cnsnews.com/Nation/archive/200201/NAT20020121a.html
Friday, March 01, 2002
Bill Gives Gov't Greater Access to E-Mail
If a bill approved by the crime panel of the House Judiciary Committee becomes law, any government entity--not just law enforcement agencies--will be able to receive e-mail and other electronic communications without a court order, so long as a service provider believes an emergency requires its disclosure without delay. The measure is part of a larger initiative aimed at reducing computer-related crime.
http://www.eweek.com/article/0,3658,s=701&a=23326,00.asp
If a bill approved by the crime panel of the House Judiciary Committee becomes law, any government entity--not just law enforcement agencies--will be able to receive e-mail and other electronic communications without a court order, so long as a service provider believes an emergency requires its disclosure without delay. The measure is part of a larger initiative aimed at reducing computer-related crime.
http://www.eweek.com/article/0,3658,s=701&a=23326,00.asp
Tuesday, February 26, 2002
Chilling Effects Clearinghouse
Do you know your online rights? Have you received a letter asking you to remove information from a Web site or stop engaging in an activity? Are you concerned about liability for information that someone else posted to your online forum? If so, this site is for you.
These pages will help you understand the protections intellectual property laws and the First Amendment give to your online activities.
http://www.chillingeffects.org/
Do you know your online rights? Have you received a letter asking you to remove information from a Web site or stop engaging in an activity? Are you concerned about liability for information that someone else posted to your online forum? If so, this site is for you.
These pages will help you understand the protections intellectual property laws and the First Amendment give to your online activities.
http://www.chillingeffects.org/
ZDNet: Tech Update: Platforms/OS /
Microsoft Anti-Trust Remedies
http://techupdate.zdnet.com/techupdate/stories/main/0,14179,2849066,00.html
Microsoft Anti-Trust Remedies
http://techupdate.zdnet.com/techupdate/stories/main/0,14179,2849066,00.html
Monday, February 25, 2002
Developer News -- 'Significant' Security Flaws Uncovered in Many Web Applications
@stake studied 45 e-business applications that were responsible for generating $3.5 billion in revenue for @stake clients. The idea was to find vulnerabilities in the applications themselves, as opposed to surrounding network infrastructure, that could lead to security breaches.
From those 45 applications, @stake found nearly 500 "significant" security defects, with an average of at least 10 per assessment. Seventy percent of the defects were due to design flaws in the applications and nearly half of the most serious flaws could have been caught and fixed in the application design phase.
http://www.internetnews.com/dev-news/article/0,,10_978771,00.html
@stake studied 45 e-business applications that were responsible for generating $3.5 billion in revenue for @stake clients. The idea was to find vulnerabilities in the applications themselves, as opposed to surrounding network infrastructure, that could lead to security breaches.
From those 45 applications, @stake found nearly 500 "significant" security defects, with an average of at least 10 per assessment. Seventy percent of the defects were due to design flaws in the applications and nearly half of the most serious flaws could have been caught and fixed in the application design phase.
http://www.internetnews.com/dev-news/article/0,,10_978771,00.html
News: Internet running out of room? Every device that accesses the Internet--such as a PC, a personal digital assistant or a cell phone--needs an IP address. Switching to IPv6 would help meet the growing demand for IP addresses, as the technology allows for more than does the current system.
http://zdnet.com.com/2100-1105-842973.html
http://zdnet.com.com/2100-1105-842973.html
Online Group to Give Advice Regarding Copyrights
"People get these letters and wonder, `Does this mean I have to take everything down and go home?' " said Wendy Seltzer, a fellow with the Berkman Center for Internet and Society at Harvard Law School. "What we try to do with this site is to clarify what it is they have to worry about and what's more likely to just be someone blowing hot air."
The foundation is an online civil liberties group based in San Francisco. The first entries in the database, which is scheduled to become available starting today at www.chillingeffects.org, include line-by-line commentary and analysis provided by law students at Harvard, Stanford and the University of California at Berkeley.
http://www.nytimes.com/2002/02/25/technology/ebusiness/25CHIL.html?todaysheadlines&pagewanted=all
"People get these letters and wonder, `Does this mean I have to take everything down and go home?' " said Wendy Seltzer, a fellow with the Berkman Center for Internet and Society at Harvard Law School. "What we try to do with this site is to clarify what it is they have to worry about and what's more likely to just be someone blowing hot air."
The foundation is an online civil liberties group based in San Francisco. The first entries in the database, which is scheduled to become available starting today at www.chillingeffects.org, include line-by-line commentary and analysis provided by law students at Harvard, Stanford and the University of California at Berkeley.
http://www.nytimes.com/2002/02/25/technology/ebusiness/25CHIL.html?todaysheadlines&pagewanted=all
Web Site Helped Change Farm Policy
It is www.ewg.org, operated by the Environmental Working Group, a small nonprofit organization with the simple idea that the taxpayers who underwrite $20 billion a year in farm subsidies have the right to know who gets the money.
Conceived by Ken Cook, 50, director of the group, the Web site has become unusual in the crowded world of special-interest politics, where it is hard to get noticed in Washington, much less heard.
It not only caught the attention of lawmakers, it also helped transform the farm bill into a question about equity and whether the country's wealthiest farmers should be paid to grow commodity crops while many smaller family farms receive nothing and are going out of business.
In farm circles, where neighbors now know who is receiving the biggest checks from the government, the Web site has name recognition roughly equal to that of Heinz ketchup.
Web Site Helped Change Farm Policy
It is www.ewg.org, operated by the Environmental Working Group, a small nonprofit organization with the simple idea that the taxpayers who underwrite $20 billion a year in farm subsidies have the right to know who gets the money.
Conceived by Ken Cook, 50, director of the group, the Web site has become unusual in the crowded world of special-interest politics, where it is hard to get noticed in Washington, much less heard.
It not only caught the attention of lawmakers, it also helped transform the farm bill into a question about equity and whether the country's wealthiest farmers should be paid to grow commodity crops while many smaller family farms receive nothing and are going out of business.
In farm circles, where neighbors now know who is receiving the biggest checks from the government, the Web site has name recognition roughly equal to that of Heinz ketchup.
Web Site Helped Change Farm Policy
Saturday, February 23, 2002
United Nations Leader Urges International Action on Mideast
"I truly believe that it is imperative for the Security Council and the wider international community to work in a concerted manner with the parties," Mr. Annan said.
More pointedly, he said that the Israeli insistence on an end to Palestinian violence as a precondition for negotiations — a position supported by Washington and one that Mr. Sharon repeated in an address today — was no longer viable.
"A reduction in the violence is the most immediate priority," Mr. Annan said. "But I have become more and more convinced that trying to resolve the security problem on its own cannot work."
http://www.nytimes.com/2002/02/22/international/22NATI.html
"I truly believe that it is imperative for the Security Council and the wider international community to work in a concerted manner with the parties," Mr. Annan said.
More pointedly, he said that the Israeli insistence on an end to Palestinian violence as a precondition for negotiations — a position supported by Washington and one that Mr. Sharon repeated in an address today — was no longer viable.
"A reduction in the violence is the most immediate priority," Mr. Annan said. "But I have become more and more convinced that trying to resolve the security problem on its own cannot work."
http://www.nytimes.com/2002/02/22/international/22NATI.html
Friday, February 22, 2002
Behind-the-Scenes Clash Led Bush to Reverse Himself on Applying Geneva Conventions
President Bush's decision this month to reverse himself and apply the Geneva Conventions to the Afghan war came after the Pentagon and State Department lined up against the administration's top lawyers, senior administration officials now say.
Senior officials also disclosed for the first time that NATO allies were so concerned with Mr. Bush's initial decision to reject the conventions that Britain and France warned they might not turn over Taliban and Al Qaeda fighters captured by their troops in Afghanistan unless Mr. Bush pledged to honor the treaties.
"What we heard from the French and the British was that if we didn't determine that the Geneva Conventions applied, then they would find it difficult to transfer to our custody people that they might take into custody that we'd want," a senior administration official said. These complaints were voiced informally, the official said.
Further pressure on Mr. Bush to shift his stance came when the Defense Department agreed with warnings from the State Department that ignoring the treaties could put American troops at risk if they were captured. The State Department and the Pentagon have not always seen eye to eye on how to carry out antiterror policy; in other debates since Sept. 11, defense officials have sometimes adopted a harder line and more hawkish stance than State.
Although the Bush administration came into office expressing deep skepticism about a number of international agreements, arguing that decades-old treaties restricted the pursuit of American interests in a rapidly changing world, few anticipated that President Bush would actually reject the Geneva Conventions.
The four Geneva Conventions signed in 1949 were intended to avoid the mass abuses of civilians and of military prisoners that took place during World War II. Although they have periodically been ignored by some nations, they remain the world's most revered accords, garnering signatures of 189 countries, a number exceeded by only one other treaty (on the protection of children).
http://www.nytimes.com/2002/02/22/international/asia/22DETA.html
President Bush's decision this month to reverse himself and apply the Geneva Conventions to the Afghan war came after the Pentagon and State Department lined up against the administration's top lawyers, senior administration officials now say.
Senior officials also disclosed for the first time that NATO allies were so concerned with Mr. Bush's initial decision to reject the conventions that Britain and France warned they might not turn over Taliban and Al Qaeda fighters captured by their troops in Afghanistan unless Mr. Bush pledged to honor the treaties.
"What we heard from the French and the British was that if we didn't determine that the Geneva Conventions applied, then they would find it difficult to transfer to our custody people that they might take into custody that we'd want," a senior administration official said. These complaints were voiced informally, the official said.
Further pressure on Mr. Bush to shift his stance came when the Defense Department agreed with warnings from the State Department that ignoring the treaties could put American troops at risk if they were captured. The State Department and the Pentagon have not always seen eye to eye on how to carry out antiterror policy; in other debates since Sept. 11, defense officials have sometimes adopted a harder line and more hawkish stance than State.
Although the Bush administration came into office expressing deep skepticism about a number of international agreements, arguing that decades-old treaties restricted the pursuit of American interests in a rapidly changing world, few anticipated that President Bush would actually reject the Geneva Conventions.
The four Geneva Conventions signed in 1949 were intended to avoid the mass abuses of civilians and of military prisoners that took place during World War II. Although they have periodically been ignored by some nations, they remain the world's most revered accords, garnering signatures of 189 countries, a number exceeded by only one other treaty (on the protection of children).
http://www.nytimes.com/2002/02/22/international/asia/22DETA.html
Embattled Disease Agency Chief Is Quitting
Dr. Koplan's departure will create another opening at the top level of the Public Health Service, which already has many vacancies.
Drug companies are discovering new cures every week, but the Food and Drug Administration has no commissioner. Congress is doubling the budget of the National Institutes of Health, but the agency has been without a presidentially appointed director since Dr. Harold E. Varmus left in December 1999.
Dr. David Satcher, the surgeon general of the United States, left office last week when his term expired. He had been appointed by President Bill Clinton.
Dr. Alastair J. J. Wood, a drug- safety expert at Vanderbilt University who was seen as a leading candidate for commissioner of the drug agency, has been told that he is no longer in the running, a university spokesman said today. Some drug company executives had said they worried that he might be too zealous in regulating their products. Dr. Wood had suggested that the drug agency should be more aggressive in monitoring medicines on the market.
http://www.nytimes.com/2002/02/22/health/22CDC.html
Dr. Koplan's departure will create another opening at the top level of the Public Health Service, which already has many vacancies.
Drug companies are discovering new cures every week, but the Food and Drug Administration has no commissioner. Congress is doubling the budget of the National Institutes of Health, but the agency has been without a presidentially appointed director since Dr. Harold E. Varmus left in December 1999.
Dr. David Satcher, the surgeon general of the United States, left office last week when his term expired. He had been appointed by President Bill Clinton.
Dr. Alastair J. J. Wood, a drug- safety expert at Vanderbilt University who was seen as a leading candidate for commissioner of the drug agency, has been told that he is no longer in the running, a university spokesman said today. Some drug company executives had said they worried that he might be too zealous in regulating their products. Dr. Wood had suggested that the drug agency should be more aggressive in monitoring medicines on the market.
http://www.nytimes.com/2002/02/22/health/22CDC.html
The W Scenario
Celebrating victory well in advance seems to be the style lately. And that includes the economic front. Both the administration and many business leaders have taken a modest improvement in economic indicators as proof that the economy is poised for full recovery. They could be right — but don't count on it.
The good news to date consists mainly of evidence not that things are getting better but that they are getting worse more slowly. New claims for unemployment insurance have fallen; that means fewer people are being laid off, but not that laid-off workers are finding new jobs. Industrial production has stabilized; that means that companies have worked off the excess inventory that led them to slash production in 2001, but not that demand for their products has increased.
We won't have a serious recovery until what economists call "final demand" shows substantial increases, and workers start being rehired. Where will that recovery come from?
http://www.nytimes.com/2002/02/22/opinion/22KRUG.html?todaysheadlines&pagewanted=all
Celebrating victory well in advance seems to be the style lately. And that includes the economic front. Both the administration and many business leaders have taken a modest improvement in economic indicators as proof that the economy is poised for full recovery. They could be right — but don't count on it.
The good news to date consists mainly of evidence not that things are getting better but that they are getting worse more slowly. New claims for unemployment insurance have fallen; that means fewer people are being laid off, but not that laid-off workers are finding new jobs. Industrial production has stabilized; that means that companies have worked off the excess inventory that led them to slash production in 2001, but not that demand for their products has increased.
We won't have a serious recovery until what economists call "final demand" shows substantial increases, and workers start being rehired. Where will that recovery come from?
http://www.nytimes.com/2002/02/22/opinion/22KRUG.html?todaysheadlines&pagewanted=all
For Israelis on Front Line, the Danger Is Everywhere
In the West Bank town of Nablus, where Israeli soldiers have taken over four buildings, residents of one apartment house reported that about 100 of them were being confined to a single floor, denied food, water and medicine, and that some men had been ordered by soldiers to stand at windows to serve as human shields against Palestinian gunfire.
An Israeli army spokesman denied that Palestinians had been used as shields, adding that after complaints were received of lack and food and medicine, several residents were allowed out of the building to purchase the needed supplies.
http://www.nytimes.com/2002/02/22/international/middleeast/22POST.html
In the West Bank town of Nablus, where Israeli soldiers have taken over four buildings, residents of one apartment house reported that about 100 of them were being confined to a single floor, denied food, water and medicine, and that some men had been ordered by soldiers to stand at windows to serve as human shields against Palestinian gunfire.
An Israeli army spokesman denied that Palestinians had been used as shields, adding that after complaints were received of lack and food and medicine, several residents were allowed out of the building to purchase the needed supplies.
http://www.nytimes.com/2002/02/22/international/middleeast/22POST.html
United Nations Leader Urges International Action on Mideast
Mr. Annan spoke shortly after Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon delivered his address in Jerusalem, in which he also announced plans for a buffer zone between Israeli and Palestinian territories and demanded a full disarmament of the Palestinians.
The secretary general argued that security had to have a context. "It has to be addressed alongside key political issues," he said, "particularly the question of land, and the economic and social issues, including the increasingly critical desperate conditions of the Palestinians."
The "key problems," Mr. Annan said, again diverging widely from the Israelis, were the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territory, security, "the need to end violence, including terrorism," and economic deprivation and suffering. "These are inter-linked problems, encompassing the political, security and economic domains," he said.
http://www.nytimes.com/2002/02/22/international/22NATI.html
Mr. Annan spoke shortly after Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon delivered his address in Jerusalem, in which he also announced plans for a buffer zone between Israeli and Palestinian territories and demanded a full disarmament of the Palestinians.
The secretary general argued that security had to have a context. "It has to be addressed alongside key political issues," he said, "particularly the question of land, and the economic and social issues, including the increasingly critical desperate conditions of the Palestinians."
The "key problems," Mr. Annan said, again diverging widely from the Israelis, were the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territory, security, "the need to end violence, including terrorism," and economic deprivation and suffering. "These are inter-linked problems, encompassing the political, security and economic domains," he said.
http://www.nytimes.com/2002/02/22/international/22NATI.html
Thursday, February 21, 2002
Study: Death Penalty Error Rates Are Higher in Areas That Use It Often
Death sentences are more likely to be reversed in areas that more frequently use that penalty, have higher black populations and where judges are elected, according to a study from a group of Columbia University law professors. The report, which looks at why mistakes occur in capital cases, updates a report issued two years ago that found that 68 percent of all death sentences reviewed from 1973 to 1995 were reversed by courts because of serious errors. In those reversals, 82 percent of the defendants eventually received lesser sentences and 9 percent were freed. James Liebman, a Columbia Law School professor who was the study's lead researcher, said that while race, politics and an overburdened legal system played a strong role, areas that relied heavily on the death penalty as punishment were most likely to impose a flawed capital sentence. "What our study shows is that aggressive death sentencing is a magnet for serious error," Professor Liebman said.
Fact File: Death Penalty
http://www.publicagenda.org/headlines/021102headline.htm
Death sentences are more likely to be reversed in areas that more frequently use that penalty, have higher black populations and where judges are elected, according to a study from a group of Columbia University law professors. The report, which looks at why mistakes occur in capital cases, updates a report issued two years ago that found that 68 percent of all death sentences reviewed from 1973 to 1995 were reversed by courts because of serious errors. In those reversals, 82 percent of the defendants eventually received lesser sentences and 9 percent were freed. James Liebman, a Columbia Law School professor who was the study's lead researcher, said that while race, politics and an overburdened legal system played a strong role, areas that relied heavily on the death penalty as punishment were most likely to impose a flawed capital sentence. "What our study shows is that aggressive death sentencing is a magnet for serious error," Professor Liebman said.
Fact File: Death Penalty
http://www.publicagenda.org/headlines/021102headline.htm
Wednesday, February 20, 2002
ZDNet: Tech Update: Security
Perhaps more than you ever wanted to know about net security
http://techupdate.zdnet.com/techupdate/stories/main/0,14179,2848418,00.html
Perhaps more than you ever wanted to know about net security
http://techupdate.zdnet.com/techupdate/stories/main/0,14179,2848418,00.html
Tuesday, February 19, 2002
Though Not Linked to Terrorism, Many Detainees Cannot Go Home
In the past, visa violators who had no other charges against them were usually deported or allowed to leave voluntarily 60 to 90 days after their immigration cases were closed, lawyers said. But these detainees are being treated differently.
American officials acknowledged a great reluctance to release people who could be involved with terrorism and said that the Federal Bureau of Investigation was working hard to complete the checks.
"We have to be very careful about the people we let go," said a senior Justice Department official, who spoke on condition of not being identified by name.
Civil liberties advocates agreed that the government needed to be careful but said the delays were stretching the normal legal timetables. The government, they said, was in the dubious position of holding people indefinitely without charging them with a crime.
http://www.nytimes.com/2002/02/18/national/18DETA.html?todaysheadlines&pagewanted=all
In the past, visa violators who had no other charges against them were usually deported or allowed to leave voluntarily 60 to 90 days after their immigration cases were closed, lawyers said. But these detainees are being treated differently.
American officials acknowledged a great reluctance to release people who could be involved with terrorism and said that the Federal Bureau of Investigation was working hard to complete the checks.
"We have to be very careful about the people we let go," said a senior Justice Department official, who spoke on condition of not being identified by name.
Civil liberties advocates agreed that the government needed to be careful but said the delays were stretching the normal legal timetables. The government, they said, was in the dubious position of holding people indefinitely without charging them with a crime.
http://www.nytimes.com/2002/02/18/national/18DETA.html?todaysheadlines&pagewanted=all
Sunday, February 17, 2002
This Is Truly Insane
Judge: Microsoft Must Give States Windows Code
Microsoft Corp. (news/quote) will have to supply the computer code for its Windows program to a group of states seeking stiffer antitrust sanctions against the software giant, a federal judge has ruled.
Nine state attorneys general had argued that they needed to see the Windows source code in order to verify Microsoft's claim it could not offer a simpler version of the Windows personal computer operating system, stripped of features like the Internet Explorer browser.
``It seems to me that if your side has access to it, then the other side, frankly, should have access to it,'' U.S. District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly told Microsoft's lawyers Friday in a conference call with attorneys from both sides.
If their code is released to competitors, would Microsoft even have standing to sue the States?
Judgehttp://www.nytimes.com/reuters/technology/tech-microsoft-code.html?todaysheadlines&pagewanted=all
Friday, February 15, 2002
Head of Israeli Commando Unit Killed by a Collapsing Wall
After losing a tank and three soldiers in a Palestinian attack near here Thursday night, the Israeli Army was struck a second blow today, when the leader of an elite commando unit was killed by a falling wall while his troops were demolishing a Palestinian militant's home in the West Bank.
Tonight, in retaliation for the tank's destruction, Israeli warplanes fired rockets at two offices of the Palestinian security forces in the Jabaliya refugee camp north of Gaza City, wounding 15 people, Palestinian security officials said.
http://www.nytimes.com/2002/02/15/international/15CND-MIDEAST.html
After losing a tank and three soldiers in a Palestinian attack near here Thursday night, the Israeli Army was struck a second blow today, when the leader of an elite commando unit was killed by a falling wall while his troops were demolishing a Palestinian militant's home in the West Bank.
Tonight, in retaliation for the tank's destruction, Israeli warplanes fired rockets at two offices of the Palestinian security forces in the Jabaliya refugee camp north of Gaza City, wounding 15 people, Palestinian security officials said.
http://www.nytimes.com/2002/02/15/international/15CND-MIDEAST.html
Arabs Deploy New Explosive Against Tank; 3 Israelis Die
For the first time, Palestinian militants destroyed an Israeli tank tonight, planting a mine that punched through the tank's belly, killing at least three soldiers and lightly wounding a fourth.
The tank was ripped apart as it responded to what the Israeli Army described as a coordinated attack on a settlers' convoy after it entered the Gaza Strip headed for Netzarim, an isolated Jewish settlement.
A bomb had exploded beside the settlers' bus, which was bulletproof, and gunmen opened fire on the convoy. No one was injured in that attack. But as the tank rushed to the scene, it rolled over the mine, which penetrated the tank and exploded inside, the army said.
"This is really warfare, in the conventional sense," said Jacob Dallal, an Israeli Army spokesman. "This is something we've never seen before from the Palestinians."
http://www.nytimes.com/2002/02/15/international/middleeast/15MIDE.html?todaysheadlines&pagewanted=all
For the first time, Palestinian militants destroyed an Israeli tank tonight, planting a mine that punched through the tank's belly, killing at least three soldiers and lightly wounding a fourth.
The tank was ripped apart as it responded to what the Israeli Army described as a coordinated attack on a settlers' convoy after it entered the Gaza Strip headed for Netzarim, an isolated Jewish settlement.
A bomb had exploded beside the settlers' bus, which was bulletproof, and gunmen opened fire on the convoy. No one was injured in that attack. But as the tank rushed to the scene, it rolled over the mine, which penetrated the tank and exploded inside, the army said.
"This is really warfare, in the conventional sense," said Jacob Dallal, an Israeli Army spokesman. "This is something we've never seen before from the Palestinians."
http://www.nytimes.com/2002/02/15/international/middleeast/15MIDE.html?todaysheadlines&pagewanted=all
Cocaine and Intensity of H.I.V. Are Related in a Study of Mice
…mice may help explain something that doctors have noticed in people who are infected with H.I.V.: cocaine use seems to make the disease progress faster and lead to more of the opportunistic infections that are the hallmark of AIDS.
The reason is not known. Drug abusers often eat poorly, have unprotected sex and neglect their health in other ways, so it has been impossible to tell whether their problems are due to cocaine itself or to the other habits that often go with addiction.
A new study suggests that cocaine is to blame. In the study, by researchers at the AIDS Institute at the University of California at Los Angeles, specially bred mice were inoculated with human cells and with H.I.V., the virus that causes AIDS, and then given injections of either cocaine or a salt-water placebo. Cocaine greatly enhanced replication of the virus and increased the number of human cells it infected and killed.
Dr. Gayle C. Baldwin, who directed the study, said, "We're talking about a 200-fold increase in viral load in these animals. That is a lot."
http://www.nytimes.com/2002/02/15/health/15IMMU.html?todaysheadlines&pagewanted=all
…mice may help explain something that doctors have noticed in people who are infected with H.I.V.: cocaine use seems to make the disease progress faster and lead to more of the opportunistic infections that are the hallmark of AIDS.
The reason is not known. Drug abusers often eat poorly, have unprotected sex and neglect their health in other ways, so it has been impossible to tell whether their problems are due to cocaine itself or to the other habits that often go with addiction.
A new study suggests that cocaine is to blame. In the study, by researchers at the AIDS Institute at the University of California at Los Angeles, specially bred mice were inoculated with human cells and with H.I.V., the virus that causes AIDS, and then given injections of either cocaine or a salt-water placebo. Cocaine greatly enhanced replication of the virus and increased the number of human cells it infected and killed.
Dr. Gayle C. Baldwin, who directed the study, said, "We're talking about a 200-fold increase in viral load in these animals. That is a lot."
http://www.nytimes.com/2002/02/15/health/15IMMU.html?todaysheadlines&pagewanted=all
To Whomever Sent Me This Valentine, Thanks, but, Pay Attention to the Terms of Service
This greeting card cannot be displayed due to a terms of service violation by the sender of the card.
Our system is programmed to prevent the following types of abuse:
1) Offensive and/or harrassing behavior.
2) Sending more than 30 cards per day (SPAM).
3) Creating a nuisance and generating numerous complaints.
4) Using this service for commercial advertising purposes.
Thursday, February 14, 2002
New Architect: Rights Management Under Fire
rights management under fire
A conversation with Adobe's James Alexander
March 2002
Web Techniques Magazine is now New.Architecht.
http://www.newarchitectmag.com/documents/s=2415/new1011741791552/index.html
rights management under fire
A conversation with Adobe's James Alexander
March 2002
Web Techniques Magazine is now New.Architecht.
http://www.newarchitectmag.com/documents/s=2415/new1011741791552/index.html
Wednesday, February 13, 2002
Chief Takes Over New Agency to Thwart Attacks on U.S.
John M. Poindexter, the retired Navy admiral who was President Ronald Reagan's national security adviser, has returned to the Pentagon to direct a new agency that is developing technologies to give federal officials instant access to vast new surveillance and information- analysis systems.
The Information Awareness Office, which Mr. Poindexter took over last month, is one of two new agencies that the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, or Darpa, created in recent months as part of the Bush administration's effort to grapple with new kinds of military threats after the attacks of Sept. 11.
http://www.nytimes.com/2002/02/13/politics/13DARP.
John M. Poindexter, the retired Navy admiral who was President Ronald Reagan's national security adviser, has returned to the Pentagon to direct a new agency that is developing technologies to give federal officials instant access to vast new surveillance and information- analysis systems.
The Information Awareness Office, which Mr. Poindexter took over last month, is one of two new agencies that the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, or Darpa, created in recent months as part of the Bush administration's effort to grapple with new kinds of military threats after the attacks of Sept. 11.
http://www.nytimes.com/2002/02/13/politics/13DARP.
PC Magazine: Top 100 Web Sites
Odds are you already know who does what best on the Web—Amazon for shopping, PC Magazine for computing, etc. But there's also an abundance of really great sites that you're probably missing. That's why this year we put together a list of 100 terrific, underappreciated sites, ranging from silly to practical.
http://www.pcmag.com/category/0,,s=25087,00.asp
Odds are you already know who does what best on the Web—Amazon for shopping, PC Magazine for computing, etc. But there's also an abundance of really great sites that you're probably missing. That's why this year we put together a list of 100 terrific, underappreciated sites, ranging from silly to practical.
http://www.pcmag.com/category/0,,s=25087,00.asp
Sunday, February 10, 2002
An Internet Phone Goes Where Pay Phones Take the Real Hits
…it may look to passers-by like a castoff prop from a science fiction movie.
But it is not an imaginary device from the future; it is real. And starting today, anyone with a quarter will be able to try out what is being called the nation's first outdoor Internet pay phone, on the southwest corner of Fifth Avenue and West 46th Street.
Whether it will succeed in a city where heavily armored pay phones often become victims of foul play remains to be seen.
http://www.nytimes.com/2002/02/10/technology/10PHON.html?todaysheadlines&pagewanted=all
…it may look to passers-by like a castoff prop from a science fiction movie.
But it is not an imaginary device from the future; it is real. And starting today, anyone with a quarter will be able to try out what is being called the nation's first outdoor Internet pay phone, on the southwest corner of Fifth Avenue and West 46th Street.
Whether it will succeed in a city where heavily armored pay phones often become victims of foul play remains to be seen.
http://www.nytimes.com/2002/02/10/technology/10PHON.html?todaysheadlines&pagewanted=all
Witness Lists for Microsoft Trial
Witness Lists for Microsoft Trial
NINE PLAINTIFF STATES’ WITNESS LIST
DEFENDANT MICROSOFT WITNESS LIST
THIRD PARTY WITNESSES
http://www.nytimes.com/2002/02/10/business/10SOFT-WIT.html
Witness Lists for Microsoft Trial
NINE PLAINTIFF STATES’ WITNESS LIST
DEFENDANT MICROSOFT WITNESS LIST
THIRD PARTY WITNESSES
http://www.nytimes.com/2002/02/10/business/10SOFT-WIT.html
Saturday, February 09, 2002
EU Touts Plan for Palestinian State
In recent months, the United States and the European Union had been taking a relatively unified position on the Middle East. The Europeans, who are seen as tilting toward the Palestinians, had taken an increasingly tough stance with Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, calling on him to rein in militants.
But now EU officials are expressing impatience with Washington's hands-off attitude toward peace talks and what many see as its pro-Israel bent and pressure on the Palestinians.
Javier Solana, the EU's chief foreign and security chief, said there can be no peace in the Middle East without putting ``politics back at the center of gravity,'' rather than cracking down on militants.
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/international/AP-EU-Mideast.html
In recent months, the United States and the European Union had been taking a relatively unified position on the Middle East. The Europeans, who are seen as tilting toward the Palestinians, had taken an increasingly tough stance with Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, calling on him to rein in militants.
But now EU officials are expressing impatience with Washington's hands-off attitude toward peace talks and what many see as its pro-Israel bent and pressure on the Palestinians.
Javier Solana, the EU's chief foreign and security chief, said there can be no peace in the Middle East without putting ``politics back at the center of gravity,'' rather than cracking down on militants.
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/international/AP-EU-Mideast.html
Coalition Forms to Reverse Rising Trend of Uninsured Americans
An unusually broad lobbying group, including the United States Chamber of Commerce, the A.F.L.- C.I.O., the American Medical Association, insurers and consumer advocates, plans to announce on Tuesday a campaign on national television and in newspapers and magazines to seek support for new national measures intended to reduce the number of those without health insurance.
Employers are concerned that the rising health care costs they already face for their workers will grow even faster as hospitals raise their fees to reflect the unpaid costs of uninsured patients in emergency rooms. At the same time, soaring Medicaid costs are straining state budgets and adding to pressure for tax increases, a further concern for employers.
Union officials say they are worried that hard-pressed employers will revive the harsh choices between wages and health benefits that workers were offered in previous economic slowdowns.
http://www.nytimes.com/2002/02/09/national/09INSU.html?todaysheadlines&pagewanted=all
An unusually broad lobbying group, including the United States Chamber of Commerce, the A.F.L.- C.I.O., the American Medical Association, insurers and consumer advocates, plans to announce on Tuesday a campaign on national television and in newspapers and magazines to seek support for new national measures intended to reduce the number of those without health insurance.
Employers are concerned that the rising health care costs they already face for their workers will grow even faster as hospitals raise their fees to reflect the unpaid costs of uninsured patients in emergency rooms. At the same time, soaring Medicaid costs are straining state budgets and adding to pressure for tax increases, a further concern for employers.
Union officials say they are worried that hard-pressed employers will revive the harsh choices between wages and health benefits that workers were offered in previous economic slowdowns.
http://www.nytimes.com/2002/02/09/national/09INSU.html?todaysheadlines&pagewanted=all
Silicon Alley News: FCC Says Broadband Access Up
Nearly 10 million Americans now have high-speed connections to the Internet, according to the Federal Communications Commission's third report to Congress about advanced telecommunications.
The report said high speed subscribers (including those with advanced services) numbered about 9.6 million as of June 2001, a 36 percent increase since the first half of the year and about a 250 percent increase since December 1999.
http://www.atnewyork.com/news/article/0,1471,8471_971201,00.html
Nearly 10 million Americans now have high-speed connections to the Internet, according to the Federal Communications Commission's third report to Congress about advanced telecommunications.
The report said high speed subscribers (including those with advanced services) numbered about 9.6 million as of June 2001, a 36 percent increase since the first half of the year and about a 250 percent increase since December 1999.
http://www.atnewyork.com/news/article/0,1471,8471_971201,00.html
Thursday, February 07, 2002
Tehran Says U.S. Should Offer Assistance, Not Accusations
"Instead of waging negative propaganda, the Americans had better give us any information they have so that we go after them and keep them out of Iran," Mr. Kharrazi said at the news conference.
The foreign minister acknowledged that Iran could not fully control its 600-mile border with Afghanistan, noting that it had proved porous to drug smuggling for two decades. He suggested that it might be equally permeable to anyone fleeing Afghanistan. "We are making our utmost effort, but the reality is that it is not possible to control this long border completely," Mr. Kharrazi said.
"We have smashed many rings involved in human smuggling and reinstated visas for Persian Gulf Arab states," he said. "We are also making a lot of arrests, among whom could be members of Taliban or Al Qaeda. We will deal with them and hand them over to their respective countries."
http://www.nytimes.com/2002/02/06/international/middleeast/06IRAN.html
"Instead of waging negative propaganda, the Americans had better give us any information they have so that we go after them and keep them out of Iran," Mr. Kharrazi said at the news conference.
The foreign minister acknowledged that Iran could not fully control its 600-mile border with Afghanistan, noting that it had proved porous to drug smuggling for two decades. He suggested that it might be equally permeable to anyone fleeing Afghanistan. "We are making our utmost effort, but the reality is that it is not possible to control this long border completely," Mr. Kharrazi said.
"We have smashed many rings involved in human smuggling and reinstated visas for Persian Gulf Arab states," he said. "We are also making a lot of arrests, among whom could be members of Taliban or Al Qaeda. We will deal with them and hand them over to their respective countries."
http://www.nytimes.com/2002/02/06/international/middleeast/06IRAN.html
Tuesday, February 05, 2002
FACSNET Reporting Tools
FACS specializes in three main areas of journalism education: business and economics, science and technology and environment and land use.
http://www.facsnet.org/tools/index.html
FACS specializes in three main areas of journalism education: business and economics, science and technology and environment and land use.
http://www.facsnet.org/tools/index.html
Power Reporting:
Thousands of free research tools for journalists. And no ads.
http://www.powerreporting.com/
Thousands of free research tools for journalists. And no ads.
http://www.powerreporting.com/
Blast Kills 5 Palestinians in Car, but Israeli Army Denies Role
The car carrying the men was hit by an explosion as it traveled on a back road between Rafah and Khan Yunis, not far from a crossing between the Gaza Strip and Israel.
Palestinian security officers and people at the scene said that the car had been hit by a missile, and that two Israeli helicopters and a drone were hovering at the time of the explosion.
"This means it does not want calm," Mr. Arafat said, referring to Israel. "It wants the continuation of the military escalation against our mighty people."
The Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine, a Marxist faction in the Palestine Liberation Organization, said the Palestinians belonged to its group, and it vowed revenge.
http://www.nytimes.com/2002/02/05/international/middleeast/05MIDE.html
The car carrying the men was hit by an explosion as it traveled on a back road between Rafah and Khan Yunis, not far from a crossing between the Gaza Strip and Israel.
Palestinian security officers and people at the scene said that the car had been hit by a missile, and that two Israeli helicopters and a drone were hovering at the time of the explosion.
"This means it does not want calm," Mr. Arafat said, referring to Israel. "It wants the continuation of the military escalation against our mighty people."
The Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine, a Marxist faction in the Palestine Liberation Organization, said the Palestinians belonged to its group, and it vowed revenge.
http://www.nytimes.com/2002/02/05/international/middleeast/05MIDE.html
The SuperSearchers Web Page
This page features a growing collection of links to subject-specific Web resources recommended by the world’s leading online searchers.
http://www.infotoday.com/supersearchers/
This page features a growing collection of links to subject-specific Web resources recommended by the world’s leading online searchers.
http://www.infotoday.com/supersearchers/
SearchDay - A "Hidden" Guide to the Business Web - 31 January 2002
Like an underground mine filled with hidden treasures, one of the best business-oriented information resources is buried deep within a popular magazine's web site.
Many SearchDay readers are familiar with the magazine Business 2.0. It's one of the survivors of a relatively new crop of magazines focusing on the high-tech "new economy," and I often include links to interesting Business 2.0 stories in the headlines section of this newsletter.
What you may not know is that the magazine's web site also contains a fantastic, information-rich web guide. "We realize that it's one of the best kept secrets online," said Bonnie Kroll, Web Guide Director for Business 2.0.
http://searchenginewatch.com/searchday/02/sd0131-biz2.html
Like an underground mine filled with hidden treasures, one of the best business-oriented information resources is buried deep within a popular magazine's web site.
Many SearchDay readers are familiar with the magazine Business 2.0. It's one of the survivors of a relatively new crop of magazines focusing on the high-tech "new economy," and I often include links to interesting Business 2.0 stories in the headlines section of this newsletter.
What you may not know is that the magazine's web site also contains a fantastic, information-rich web guide. "We realize that it's one of the best kept secrets online," said Bonnie Kroll, Web Guide Director for Business 2.0.
http://searchenginewatch.com/searchday/02/sd0131-biz2.html
Monday, February 04, 2002
ZDNet: Story: Hey, geeks! Build us a computer we can really use
Remember the commercial where Avery Brooks (that's Captain Sisko for you Star Trek fans) asks: "Where are the flying cars?" A similar question could be asked about computers: Why don't computers do what we want them to do?
http://www.zdnet.com/anchordesk/stories/story/0,10738,2844884,00.html
Remember the commercial where Avery Brooks (that's Captain Sisko for you Star Trek fans) asks: "Where are the flying cars?" A similar question could be asked about computers: Why don't computers do what we want them to do?
http://www.zdnet.com/anchordesk/stories/story/0,10738,2844884,00.html
News: FTC cooking up a spam attack
The Federal Trade Commission is gearing up for a battle against unsolicited commercial e-mail, known as spam.
Howard Beales, the director of the FTC's Bureau of Consumer Protection, said Thursday that the agency will launch a "systematic attack" on deceptive spam and opt-out notices. Beales, who spoke at the 2nd Annual Privacy & Data Security Summit in Washington, D.C., added that the FTC will announce "law enforcement actions" regarding spam in a couple of weeks.
The campaign comes as the FTC prepares for its National Consumer Protection Week, beginning Feb. 3, which will highlight growing concerns about privacy. Although the FTC would not comment on the details of its plan, Beales' announcement has received praise from online privacy advocates, who have been pushing for effective federal anti-spam legislation.
http://zdnet.com.com/2100-1106-827631.html
The Federal Trade Commission is gearing up for a battle against unsolicited commercial e-mail, known as spam.
Howard Beales, the director of the FTC's Bureau of Consumer Protection, said Thursday that the agency will launch a "systematic attack" on deceptive spam and opt-out notices. Beales, who spoke at the 2nd Annual Privacy & Data Security Summit in Washington, D.C., added that the FTC will announce "law enforcement actions" regarding spam in a couple of weeks.
The campaign comes as the FTC prepares for its National Consumer Protection Week, beginning Feb. 3, which will highlight growing concerns about privacy. Although the FTC would not comment on the details of its plan, Beales' announcement has received praise from online privacy advocates, who have been pushing for effective federal anti-spam legislation.
http://zdnet.com.com/2100-1106-827631.html
Sunday, February 03, 2002
The Palestinian Conversation
For 16 months, the downward spiral has been otherwise unrelenting. Since the failure of the Camp David negotiations in the summer of 2000, there has been one provocation after another. Ariel Sharon made his heavily guarded visit to the plaza outside Al Aksa Mosque to demonstrate Jewish sovereignty over the Temple Mount, the Palestinian street exploded, the Israelis quelled volatile demonstrations with deadly fire, the Palestinians moved from stones to guns to bombs, the Israelis began assassinating suspected militants and the momentum of attacks and counterattacks took on a bloody life of its own.
It has been a devastating period for everyone, and the Palestinians know what it has cost them. The Aksa intifada, as it has come to be known, has resulted in about 800 Palestinian deaths, thousands of injuries, a crippled economy and an infrastructure devastated by bombardment and bulldozer. Suicide bombings have weakened international support for the Palestinian nationalist cause. Arafat, once a frequent flier to the Clinton White House, is stuck in Ramallah with Israeli tanks hemming his compound. Most Palestinians are under a kind of lock-down inside their towns, ''220 discontinuous little ghettos,'' Edward W. Said, the Palestinian-American intellectual, has called them. The checkpoints have become more backlogged and humiliating than ever: as if time were going backward, many Palestinians have returned to riding donkeys on dirt roads to circumvent them. And Arafat's crackdown on militant Islamic groups -- Hamas and Islamic Jihad -- has provoked turbulent divisions inside Palestinian society itself.
Yet for a moment there was this lull. Granted, it felt more like a standoff as the Palestinians waited to see whether Israel would either reciprocate by loosening restrictions on their movement or nudge Palestinian fighters back into action with another assassination. But even the standoff gave people the time and the mental space to think with cooler heads about their situation, and I felt as if I was tapping into a vibrant communal conversation that revealed both deep disagreements within Palestinian society and a startling, defiant optimism about the future -- if not the near future.
http://www.nytimes.com/2002/02/03/magazine/03PALESTINE.html?pagewanted=all
For 16 months, the downward spiral has been otherwise unrelenting. Since the failure of the Camp David negotiations in the summer of 2000, there has been one provocation after another. Ariel Sharon made his heavily guarded visit to the plaza outside Al Aksa Mosque to demonstrate Jewish sovereignty over the Temple Mount, the Palestinian street exploded, the Israelis quelled volatile demonstrations with deadly fire, the Palestinians moved from stones to guns to bombs, the Israelis began assassinating suspected militants and the momentum of attacks and counterattacks took on a bloody life of its own.
It has been a devastating period for everyone, and the Palestinians know what it has cost them. The Aksa intifada, as it has come to be known, has resulted in about 800 Palestinian deaths, thousands of injuries, a crippled economy and an infrastructure devastated by bombardment and bulldozer. Suicide bombings have weakened international support for the Palestinian nationalist cause. Arafat, once a frequent flier to the Clinton White House, is stuck in Ramallah with Israeli tanks hemming his compound. Most Palestinians are under a kind of lock-down inside their towns, ''220 discontinuous little ghettos,'' Edward W. Said, the Palestinian-American intellectual, has called them. The checkpoints have become more backlogged and humiliating than ever: as if time were going backward, many Palestinians have returned to riding donkeys on dirt roads to circumvent them. And Arafat's crackdown on militant Islamic groups -- Hamas and Islamic Jihad -- has provoked turbulent divisions inside Palestinian society itself.
Yet for a moment there was this lull. Granted, it felt more like a standoff as the Palestinians waited to see whether Israel would either reciprocate by loosening restrictions on their movement or nudge Palestinian fighters back into action with another assassination. But even the standoff gave people the time and the mental space to think with cooler heads about their situation, and I felt as if I was tapping into a vibrant communal conversation that revealed both deep disagreements within Palestinian society and a startling, defiant optimism about the future -- if not the near future.
http://www.nytimes.com/2002/02/03/magazine/03PALESTINE.html?pagewanted=all
The Palestinian Vision of Peace
The Palestinian people have been denied their freedom for far too long and are the only people in the world still living under foreign occupation. How is it possible that the entire world can tolerate this oppression, discrimination and humiliation? The 1993 Oslo Accord, signed on the White House lawn, promised the Palestinians freedom by May 1999. Instead, since 1993, the Palestinian people have endured a doubling of Israeli settlers, expansion of illegal Israeli settlements on Palestinian land and increased restrictions on freedom of movement. How do I convince my people that Israel is serious about peace while over the past decade Israel intensified the colonization of Palestinian land from which it was ostensibly negotiating a withdrawal?
But no degree of oppression and no level of desperation can ever justify the killing of innocent civilians. I condemn terrorism. I condemn the killing of innocent civilians, whether they are Israeli, American or Palestinian; whether they are killed by Palestinian extremists, Israeli settlers, or by the Israeli government. But condemnations do not stop terrorism. To stop terrorism, we must understand that terrorism is simply the symptom, not the disease.
http://www.nytimes.com/2002/02/03/opinion/03ARAF.html?todaysheadlines&pagewanted=all
The Palestinian people have been denied their freedom for far too long and are the only people in the world still living under foreign occupation. How is it possible that the entire world can tolerate this oppression, discrimination and humiliation? The 1993 Oslo Accord, signed on the White House lawn, promised the Palestinians freedom by May 1999. Instead, since 1993, the Palestinian people have endured a doubling of Israeli settlers, expansion of illegal Israeli settlements on Palestinian land and increased restrictions on freedom of movement. How do I convince my people that Israel is serious about peace while over the past decade Israel intensified the colonization of Palestinian land from which it was ostensibly negotiating a withdrawal?
But no degree of oppression and no level of desperation can ever justify the killing of innocent civilians. I condemn terrorism. I condemn the killing of innocent civilians, whether they are Israeli, American or Palestinian; whether they are killed by Palestinian extremists, Israeli settlers, or by the Israeli government. But condemnations do not stop terrorism. To stop terrorism, we must understand that terrorism is simply the symptom, not the disease.
http://www.nytimes.com/2002/02/03/opinion/03ARAF.html?todaysheadlines&pagewanted=all
Chicago Tribune | BEYOND GOVERNMENTS
The State Department continues to fiddle while Rome burns. It sends delegations and diplomats to the region who have little if any chance of succeeding in crisis management as long as the structural underpinnings of the conflict--which originate in Washington, not Tel Aviv or Ramallah--do not change.
The result is that the knot of conflict is pulled ever tighter.
For decades the United States has supplied inordinate quantities of advanced weaponry and other types of aid to the stronger party to the conflict. The U.S. has exercised a policy of strong-arm, exclusionary diplomacy in order to shield the stronger party from international censure over its political and military actions toward the weaker.
Almost as frequently as acts of abominable violence against innocents are played out on the streets of Gaza and Jerusalem, acts of intellectual inquiry into the conflict are played out in this country. Panel discussions, lectures and conferences on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict regularly fill church basements, community halls and college auditoriums.
Perhaps within civil society lies the key.
http://chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/perspective/chi-0202030049feb03.story?coll=chi%2Dnewsopinionperspective%2DhedNTS
The State Department continues to fiddle while Rome burns. It sends delegations and diplomats to the region who have little if any chance of succeeding in crisis management as long as the structural underpinnings of the conflict--which originate in Washington, not Tel Aviv or Ramallah--do not change.
The result is that the knot of conflict is pulled ever tighter.
For decades the United States has supplied inordinate quantities of advanced weaponry and other types of aid to the stronger party to the conflict. The U.S. has exercised a policy of strong-arm, exclusionary diplomacy in order to shield the stronger party from international censure over its political and military actions toward the weaker.
Almost as frequently as acts of abominable violence against innocents are played out on the streets of Gaza and Jerusalem, acts of intellectual inquiry into the conflict are played out in this country. Panel discussions, lectures and conferences on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict regularly fill church basements, community halls and college auditoriums.
Perhaps within civil society lies the key.
http://chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/perspective/chi-0202030049feb03.story?coll=chi%2Dnewsopinionperspective%2DhedNTS
Saturday, February 02, 2002
The declaration today in Haaretz by the dissenting reservists said: "The price of occupation is the loss of the Israel Defense Forces' semblance of humanity and the corruption of all of Israeli society."
It continued: "We will no longer fight beyond the Green Line with the aim of dominating, expelling, starving and humiliating an entire people." The Green Line is the pre-1967 boundary between Israel and the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
Reservists Balk at Occupation, Roiling Israel
A week ago, 52 reservists began the campaign of defiance with the statement in the newspaper Haaretz. But their number has now almost doubled, to 102, and a national debate about their stand is in full swing.
The campaign has so unsettled the military command that the army's chief of staff suggested today that the objectors were inciting rebellion. The officer, Lt. Gen. Shaul Mofaz, said on Army Radio that he suspected political motives rather than moral concerns were behind the dissent. "If there is someone who is organizing a campaign on an ideological basis," he said, "in my eyes this is more than refusal to serve. This is incitement to rebellion. There is no act more serious than that."
http://www.nytimes.com/2002/02/02/international/middleeast/02RESE.html?todaysheadlines&pagewanted=alla>
Budget Would Cut Medicaid Payments
President Bush's budget would rein in the growth of Medicaid by reducing payments to public hospitals and by cracking down on state efforts to obtain extra federal money to finance health care for the poor, administration officials said today.
The administration says it is "closing loopholes" and curbing "abusive practices" that states have used to expand Medicaid without putting up all the state money required by federal law.
But state and local officials and members of Congress of both parties have objected to the administration plan. They said the cutbacks, expected to save $9 billion over the next five years, would harm Medicaid recipients and aggravate fiscal problems plaguing most states.
Two Republican governors, Jeb Bush of Florida and Rick Perry of Texas, have joined Senator Edward M. Kennedy, Democrat of Massachusetts, and the House delegations from New York and California in protesting the administration's plan.
http://www.nytimes.com/2002/02/02/politics/02HEAL.html
President Bush's budget would rein in the growth of Medicaid by reducing payments to public hospitals and by cracking down on state efforts to obtain extra federal money to finance health care for the poor, administration officials said today.
The administration says it is "closing loopholes" and curbing "abusive practices" that states have used to expand Medicaid without putting up all the state money required by federal law.
But state and local officials and members of Congress of both parties have objected to the administration plan. They said the cutbacks, expected to save $9 billion over the next five years, would harm Medicaid recipients and aggravate fiscal problems plaguing most states.
Two Republican governors, Jeb Bush of Florida and Rick Perry of Texas, have joined Senator Edward M. Kennedy, Democrat of Massachusetts, and the House delegations from New York and California in protesting the administration's plan.
http://www.nytimes.com/2002/02/02/politics/02HEAL.html
Friday, February 01, 2002
Israeli Army Chief To Punish Objectors
Israel's army chief indicated tough action would be taken against a group of reserve soldiers and officers who refused to serve in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, saying Friday that their refusal is an incitement to rebellion.
Last week, 52 reservists from front-line combat units published a petition in Israeli newspapers declaring their refusal to serve in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. The petition, appearing on the group's Web site, has since grown to 110.
The petition has set off the most intense debate yet in Israel about the military's actions in the West Bank and Gaza Strip during the past 16 months of fighting with the Palestinians. Some of those signing the petition said they were greatly troubled by orders given to them. One soldier said he was court-martialed after refusing to fire from a machine gun at a civilian area.
Ami Ayalon, former chief of Israel's Shin Bet security service, said Friday that while soldiers should not refuse to serve, they should decline to carry out orders they consider immoral.
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/international/AP-Israel-Military.html
Israel's army chief indicated tough action would be taken against a group of reserve soldiers and officers who refused to serve in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, saying Friday that their refusal is an incitement to rebellion.
Last week, 52 reservists from front-line combat units published a petition in Israeli newspapers declaring their refusal to serve in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. The petition, appearing on the group's Web site, has since grown to 110.
The petition has set off the most intense debate yet in Israel about the military's actions in the West Bank and Gaza Strip during the past 16 months of fighting with the Palestinians. Some of those signing the petition said they were greatly troubled by orders given to them. One soldier said he was court-martialed after refusing to fire from a machine gun at a civilian area.
Ami Ayalon, former chief of Israel's Shin Bet security service, said Friday that while soldiers should not refuse to serve, they should decline to carry out orders they consider immoral.
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/international/AP-Israel-Military.html
Sharon Held Talks with Top Palestinian Officials
Publication of the Sharon interviews coincided with an opinion poll that showed a sharp drop since early December in public support for him in the face of renewed violence.
At least 827 Palestinians and 249 Israelis have been killed since the uprising began.
The Maariv-MarketWatch poll showed 48 percent were happy with Sharon's overall performance while 43 percent were dissatisfied. Nine percent did not respond.
The findings, which indicated the largest erosion yet of public backing for the right-wing prime minister, compared with a 57 percent approval rating in Maariv's last poll in early December.
http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/world/international-mideast.html
Publication of the Sharon interviews coincided with an opinion poll that showed a sharp drop since early December in public support for him in the face of renewed violence.
At least 827 Palestinians and 249 Israelis have been killed since the uprising began.
The Maariv-MarketWatch poll showed 48 percent were happy with Sharon's overall performance while 43 percent were dissatisfied. Nine percent did not respond.
The findings, which indicated the largest erosion yet of public backing for the right-wing prime minister, compared with a 57 percent approval rating in Maariv's last poll in early December.
http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/world/international-mideast.html
Thursday, January 31, 2002
Integrity and the State of the Union
…We are told that "the state of our union has never been stronger." More significantly, we are told that the war has united Americans and made them better people, with a new ethic and a new creed.
This shift toward an elaboration on national character may help explain a major omission in the president's war talk: his failure to make any mention of Osama bin Laden, who planned the Sept. 11 attack but has yet to be captured. In many minds, the justification of the United States attacks on Afghanistan was retaliatory, exemplified by the president's vow to track down Mr. bin Laden. This is what Americans want, the yardstick they have identified for victory.
But Mr. Bush has become transcendental. The war may have to be enlarged to deal with added threats in Iraq, Iran and elsewhere. The fight against "evil" — a word he used five times — may require it. Justifiable retaliation may be turning into a wider crusade. Mr. Bush, a Bible-minded man, also preaches to Americans the need to collaborate on domestic policy as they have on war.
This is red, white and blue bunting on an inaccurate reading of history. In America's traditional military conflicts, from 1812 through Vietnam, large and disunited chunks of the country spoke disrespectfully of Mr. Madison's war, Mr. Lincoln's war, Mr. Wilson's, Mr. Roosevelt's or Lyndon Johnson's. Domestic consensus was not expected, although from Abraham Lincoln to Franklin Delano Roosevelt, one recurrent presidential wartime emphasis was greater tax fairness — rates that rose most for the wealthy because of their greater ability to pay. Mr. Bush, in contrast, had nothing to say about who ought to pay for the war.
Meanwhile, the president's talk of escalating America's war against terrorism to include new foes, this time definable states like Iraq, stands in sharp contrast to his abandonment of a domestic battlefront. This is the war that many in Congress and the nation as a whole want to declare — the war on money politics and the big-contributor stranglehold on policy making that lets a rogue corporation like Enron rise to influence and power. The unexpected consequences have ranged from last year's California energy crisis, in which Enron was both a victim and a culprit, to Enron's bankruptcy, with its loss of jobs and pensions.
Integrity http://www.nytimes.com/2002/01/31/opinion/31PHIL.html
…We are told that "the state of our union has never been stronger." More significantly, we are told that the war has united Americans and made them better people, with a new ethic and a new creed.
This shift toward an elaboration on national character may help explain a major omission in the president's war talk: his failure to make any mention of Osama bin Laden, who planned the Sept. 11 attack but has yet to be captured. In many minds, the justification of the United States attacks on Afghanistan was retaliatory, exemplified by the president's vow to track down Mr. bin Laden. This is what Americans want, the yardstick they have identified for victory.
But Mr. Bush has become transcendental. The war may have to be enlarged to deal with added threats in Iraq, Iran and elsewhere. The fight against "evil" — a word he used five times — may require it. Justifiable retaliation may be turning into a wider crusade. Mr. Bush, a Bible-minded man, also preaches to Americans the need to collaborate on domestic policy as they have on war.
This is red, white and blue bunting on an inaccurate reading of history. In America's traditional military conflicts, from 1812 through Vietnam, large and disunited chunks of the country spoke disrespectfully of Mr. Madison's war, Mr. Lincoln's war, Mr. Wilson's, Mr. Roosevelt's or Lyndon Johnson's. Domestic consensus was not expected, although from Abraham Lincoln to Franklin Delano Roosevelt, one recurrent presidential wartime emphasis was greater tax fairness — rates that rose most for the wealthy because of their greater ability to pay. Mr. Bush, in contrast, had nothing to say about who ought to pay for the war.
Meanwhile, the president's talk of escalating America's war against terrorism to include new foes, this time definable states like Iraq, stands in sharp contrast to his abandonment of a domestic battlefront. This is the war that many in Congress and the nation as a whole want to declare — the war on money politics and the big-contributor stranglehold on policy making that lets a rogue corporation like Enron rise to influence and power. The unexpected consequences have ranged from last year's California energy crisis, in which Enron was both a victim and a culprit, to Enron's bankruptcy, with its loss of jobs and pensions.
Integrity http://www.nytimes.com/2002/01/31/opinion/31PHIL.html
Wednesday, January 30, 2002
Voting Rights in Peril
America has tried leaving election decisions to each state. We have no minimum federal voting rights standards for voting machines. The result: In the 2000 presidential election, 1.5 million ballots were discarded due to defective voting equipment. We have no minimum federal standards guaranteeing the right of a voter with a disability to cast a private and independent vote. The result: In 2000, 47 percent of voters with disabilities encountered physical barriers or had trouble getting to the polling place.
State and local officials say they will eventually make necessary changes on their own. History teaches us, however, that states have been slow in outlawing discrimination. In 1868, the 14th Amendment was adopted, guaranteeing black citizens the rights and privileges of citizenship. In the name of states' rights, implementation was left to local control. This model failed, and federal legislation became necessary: Without the Civil Rights Act of 1964, discrimination in public establishments and in hiring might still be legal in some parts of the country. Without the Voting Rights Act of 1965, poll taxes might still be prevalent.
http://www.nytimes.com/2002/01/30/opinion/30CONY.html
America has tried leaving election decisions to each state. We have no minimum federal voting rights standards for voting machines. The result: In the 2000 presidential election, 1.5 million ballots were discarded due to defective voting equipment. We have no minimum federal standards guaranteeing the right of a voter with a disability to cast a private and independent vote. The result: In 2000, 47 percent of voters with disabilities encountered physical barriers or had trouble getting to the polling place.
State and local officials say they will eventually make necessary changes on their own. History teaches us, however, that states have been slow in outlawing discrimination. In 1868, the 14th Amendment was adopted, guaranteeing black citizens the rights and privileges of citizenship. In the name of states' rights, implementation was left to local control. This model failed, and federal legislation became necessary: Without the Civil Rights Act of 1964, discrimination in public establishments and in hiring might still be legal in some parts of the country. Without the Voting Rights Act of 1965, poll taxes might still be prevalent.
http://www.nytimes.com/2002/01/30/opinion/30CONY.html
Israeli Group Declares Limit in Making War on Palestinians
The statement, which was published in the liberal newspaper Haaretz last week as Israelis began their weekend, condemned military actions against the Palestinians during the last 16 months of violence.
It asserted that people on both sides of the conflict were paying in blood for what it called Israel's occupation of Palestinian territory and its war to protect Jewish settlers in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
"The price of occupation is the army's loss of its human image and the corruption of all of Israeli society," the statement said. "We will continue serving in the Israel Defense Forces in any mission that serves Israel's defense. The mission of occupation and repression does not serve this goal and we will not take part in it."
The statement said that during their service in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, the signers had received orders "that have nothing to do with the security of the state and their only purpose was perpetuating control over the Palestinian people."
Such orders "destroy all the values we have absorbed in this country," the statement added.
Those orders have included demolition of homes, firing heavy machine guns into civilian neighborhoods in response to Palestinian mortar fire, shooting at stone-throwing boys, and blockading villages, the signers of the statement said.
http://www.nytimes.com/2002/01/29/international/middleeast/29ISRA.html
The statement, which was published in the liberal newspaper Haaretz last week as Israelis began their weekend, condemned military actions against the Palestinians during the last 16 months of violence.
It asserted that people on both sides of the conflict were paying in blood for what it called Israel's occupation of Palestinian territory and its war to protect Jewish settlers in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
"The price of occupation is the army's loss of its human image and the corruption of all of Israeli society," the statement said. "We will continue serving in the Israel Defense Forces in any mission that serves Israel's defense. The mission of occupation and repression does not serve this goal and we will not take part in it."
The statement said that during their service in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, the signers had received orders "that have nothing to do with the security of the state and their only purpose was perpetuating control over the Palestinian people."
Such orders "destroy all the values we have absorbed in this country," the statement added.
Those orders have included demolition of homes, firing heavy machine guns into civilian neighborhoods in response to Palestinian mortar fire, shooting at stone-throwing boys, and blockading villages, the signers of the statement said.
http://www.nytimes.com/2002/01/29/international/middleeast/29ISRA.html
Tuesday, January 29, 2002
Let Them Be P.O.W.'s
…Michael Durant was shot down in the "Black Hawk Down" incident in Somalia and seized by gunmen. The Somalis accused him of terrorism and initially threatened to put him on trial.
That conflict was a muddy one, not involving a declared war against a government. It was, in short, the kind of situation that the Bush administration seems to think is not covered by the Geneva Convention on treatment of prisoners of war.
Fortunately, the Somali gunmen were scrupulous about international law. They affirmed that Mr. Durant was a "prisoner of war" under the Geneva Convention and allowed a visit by the Red Cross.
The Bush administration owes it to the world — and to our own national interest — to rise to the level of Somali gunfighters and apply the Geneva Convention to the men at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba.
http://www.nytimes.com/2002/01/29/opinion/29KRIS.html
…Michael Durant was shot down in the "Black Hawk Down" incident in Somalia and seized by gunmen. The Somalis accused him of terrorism and initially threatened to put him on trial.
That conflict was a muddy one, not involving a declared war against a government. It was, in short, the kind of situation that the Bush administration seems to think is not covered by the Geneva Convention on treatment of prisoners of war.
Fortunately, the Somali gunmen were scrupulous about international law. They affirmed that Mr. Durant was a "prisoner of war" under the Geneva Convention and allowed a visit by the Red Cross.
The Bush administration owes it to the world — and to our own national interest — to rise to the level of Somali gunfighters and apply the Geneva Convention to the men at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba.
http://www.nytimes.com/2002/01/29/opinion/29KRIS.html
Bush Reconsiders Stand on Treating Captives of War
Mr. Bush attempted to dismiss the issue today as a small legal distinction. "I will listen to all the legalisms and announce my decision when I make it," he said.
But several governments are now seeking the return of their citizens who are being held at Guantánamo Bay. Mr. Bush said today that he would "consider" such requests, but administration officials made it clear that none of the captives were leaving Cuba soon.
Saudi Arabia's interior minister said today that the United States was holding "more than 100" Saudi citizens at Guantánamo Bay. American officials have not publicly confirmed the identities of the prisoners or their nationalities, on the grounds that their identities could signal to the enemy what information could be gleaned from interrogating them. But a senior administration official said tonight that the number given by the Saudis "sounds too high."
Citizens of at least 25 countries make up the population of 158 captives at the prison compound. The countries include Britain, Australia, France, Belgium, Sweden, Algeria, Yemen, Afghanistan and Pakistan, according to ministers from those countries.
http://www.nytimes.com/2002/01/29/international/americas/29DETA.html
Mr. Bush attempted to dismiss the issue today as a small legal distinction. "I will listen to all the legalisms and announce my decision when I make it," he said.
But several governments are now seeking the return of their citizens who are being held at Guantánamo Bay. Mr. Bush said today that he would "consider" such requests, but administration officials made it clear that none of the captives were leaving Cuba soon.
Saudi Arabia's interior minister said today that the United States was holding "more than 100" Saudi citizens at Guantánamo Bay. American officials have not publicly confirmed the identities of the prisoners or their nationalities, on the grounds that their identities could signal to the enemy what information could be gleaned from interrogating them. But a senior administration official said tonight that the number given by the Saudis "sounds too high."
Citizens of at least 25 countries make up the population of 158 captives at the prison compound. The countries include Britain, Australia, France, Belgium, Sweden, Algeria, Yemen, Afghanistan and Pakistan, according to ministers from those countries.
http://www.nytimes.com/2002/01/29/international/americas/29DETA.html
The Geneva Convention on P.O.W.'s
The Geneva Convention on P.O.W.'s
http://www.nytimes.com/2002/01/29/international/_29GENEVA.html
The Geneva Convention on P.O.W.'s
http://www.nytimes.com/2002/01/29/international/_29GENEVA.html
A P.O.W. Tangle: What the Law Says
Human Rights Watch argues that it is inconsistent for the United States to contend that Geneva does not apply because this is an unconventional war. "The United States government could have pursued terrorist suspects by traditional law- enforcement means, in which case the Geneva Conventions indeed would not apply," Kenneth Roth, executive director of the group, wrote in a letter today to Condoleezza Rice, Mr. Bush's national security adviser.
http://www.nytimes.com/2002/01/29/international/29LEGA.html
Human Rights Watch argues that it is inconsistent for the United States to contend that Geneva does not apply because this is an unconventional war. "The United States government could have pursued terrorist suspects by traditional law- enforcement means, in which case the Geneva Conventions indeed would not apply," Kenneth Roth, executive director of the group, wrote in a letter today to Condoleezza Rice, Mr. Bush's national security adviser.
http://www.nytimes.com/2002/01/29/international/29LEGA.html
Palestinian Suicide Attacks Resume
Arafat declared a cease-fire Dec. 16 and it brought an immediate and sharp drop in violence -- no Israelis were killed by Palestinians for almost a month afterward. However, Palestinians say that Israel did not respond in kind.
From Dec. 13 to Jan. 9, no Israelis were killed in Palestinian attacks. During the same period, 33 Palestinians were killed by Israeli forces -- 22 in Israeli raids and 11 while carrying out attacks on Israeli soldiers or civilians.
When a Palestinian militant was killed on Jan. 14 in an attack that had the hallmarks of an Israeli targeted killing, Palestinian militants vowed revenge, and the suicide attacks resumed almost immediately.
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/international/AP-Mideast-Suicide-Attacks.html
Arafat declared a cease-fire Dec. 16 and it brought an immediate and sharp drop in violence -- no Israelis were killed by Palestinians for almost a month afterward. However, Palestinians say that Israel did not respond in kind.
From Dec. 13 to Jan. 9, no Israelis were killed in Palestinian attacks. During the same period, 33 Palestinians were killed by Israeli forces -- 22 in Israeli raids and 11 while carrying out attacks on Israeli soldiers or civilians.
When a Palestinian militant was killed on Jan. 14 in an attack that had the hallmarks of an Israeli targeted killing, Palestinian militants vowed revenge, and the suicide attacks resumed almost immediately.
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/international/AP-Mideast-Suicide-Attacks.html
Monday, January 28, 2002
Corporate Collapse: Top 10 Warning Signs
Top 10 Signs a Company Is Headed South
How can you tell if a high-flying company is cruising for a fall? Management guru and World Economic Forum speaker Jim O'Toole offers a tongue-in-cheek Top 10 list of warning signs.
http://www.baselinemag.com/article/0,3658,s%253D2105%2526a%253D21667,00.asp
Top 10 Signs a Company Is Headed South
How can you tell if a high-flying company is cruising for a fall? Management guru and World Economic Forum speaker Jim O'Toole offers a tongue-in-cheek Top 10 list of warning signs.
http://www.baselinemag.com/article/0,3658,s%253D2105%2526a%253D21667,00.asp
Sunday, January 27, 2002
Enron's Way: Pay Packages Foster Spin, Not Results
"You're providing C.E.O.'s with a perverse incentive," said Nell Minow, the editor of the Corporate Library, a research firm in Washington. "You're rewarding them for a goal that is not in the interest of long-term shareholders."
The executives who have made millions of dollars selling once-expensive shares say they have done nothing wrong. They simply followed a regular, legal schedule of selling stock, they say, and would be far richer if the stock price had not dropped.
All of that is usually true. But it is also true that when an economic system richly rewards certain behavior, no one should be surprised when that behavior becomes the norm. If you want to change it, you have to change the incentives. The Enron mess has the potential to focus people's attention on the complicated task of doing precisely that.
http://www.nytimes.com/2002/01/27/business/27VIEW.html
"You're providing C.E.O.'s with a perverse incentive," said Nell Minow, the editor of the Corporate Library, a research firm in Washington. "You're rewarding them for a goal that is not in the interest of long-term shareholders."
The executives who have made millions of dollars selling once-expensive shares say they have done nothing wrong. They simply followed a regular, legal schedule of selling stock, they say, and would be far richer if the stock price had not dropped.
All of that is usually true. But it is also true that when an economic system richly rewards certain behavior, no one should be surprised when that behavior becomes the norm. If you want to change it, you have to change the incentives. The Enron mess has the potential to focus people's attention on the complicated task of doing precisely that.
http://www.nytimes.com/2002/01/27/business/27VIEW.html
Trusting Pessimissm
THIS is how peace was supposed to come to Israelis and Palestinians over the last eight years: Israel would yield territory parcel by parcel in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, the Palestinian Authority would strive to keep Israelis safe and the antagonists would come to understand and trust each other as they coordinated the handoffs.
It was to be a true process of peace, a self-reinforcing cycle powered by an incrementalism of ever-bigger, reciprocal concessions and tightening ties that would yield common economic interests, tranquillity and, ultimately, reconciliation.
Incrementalism turned out to be as powerful an engine as the framers of the Oslo accords envisioned. But it has so far proved most effective in reverse.
Things here have a way of going bad, staying that way long enough for everyone to adjust and then getting worse. Yesterday's horrifying attack becomes tomorrow's familiar tactic; yesterday's terrifying reprisal becomes tomorrow's starting point. Everyone says they have no other choice.
http://www.nytimes.com/2002/01/27/weekinreview/27BENN.html
THIS is how peace was supposed to come to Israelis and Palestinians over the last eight years: Israel would yield territory parcel by parcel in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, the Palestinian Authority would strive to keep Israelis safe and the antagonists would come to understand and trust each other as they coordinated the handoffs.
It was to be a true process of peace, a self-reinforcing cycle powered by an incrementalism of ever-bigger, reciprocal concessions and tightening ties that would yield common economic interests, tranquillity and, ultimately, reconciliation.
Incrementalism turned out to be as powerful an engine as the framers of the Oslo accords envisioned. But it has so far proved most effective in reverse.
Things here have a way of going bad, staying that way long enough for everyone to adjust and then getting worse. Yesterday's horrifying attack becomes tomorrow's familiar tactic; yesterday's terrifying reprisal becomes tomorrow's starting point. Everyone says they have no other choice.
http://www.nytimes.com/2002/01/27/weekinreview/27BENN.html
Powell Asks Bush to Reverse Stand on War Captives
Breaking with other cabinet officials, Secretary of State Colin L. Powell has asked President Bush to declare that the United States is bound by the Geneva Conventions in its treatment of the captives in Afghanistan and at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, administration officials said today.
Seeking a review of a presidential decision made nine days ago, when the administration determined that the captured fighters were not prisoners of war and hence not fully protected by the Geneva Conventions, Mr. Powell and his lawyers at the State Department urged Mr. Bush to affirm that the international law of war does govern the United States' treatment of all captives of the Taliban military and the terrorist network Al Qaeda.
Mr. Powell asked for the review after allies and human-rights advocates suggested that the United States had skirted some of the conventions' technical requirements.
http://www.nytimes.com/2002/01/27/politics/27DETA.html
Breaking with other cabinet officials, Secretary of State Colin L. Powell has asked President Bush to declare that the United States is bound by the Geneva Conventions in its treatment of the captives in Afghanistan and at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, administration officials said today.
Seeking a review of a presidential decision made nine days ago, when the administration determined that the captured fighters were not prisoners of war and hence not fully protected by the Geneva Conventions, Mr. Powell and his lawyers at the State Department urged Mr. Bush to affirm that the international law of war does govern the United States' treatment of all captives of the Taliban military and the terrorist network Al Qaeda.
Mr. Powell asked for the review after allies and human-rights advocates suggested that the United States had skirted some of the conventions' technical requirements.
http://www.nytimes.com/2002/01/27/politics/27DETA.html
Saturday, January 26, 2002
Israel, the Occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip, and Palestinian Authority Territories
Israel and the Occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip
The Israeli-Palestinian clashes continued throughout the first ten months of 2001. In December 2000, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak and his Labor Party-led coalition lost office following an early election for prime minister called by Barak. Ariel Sharon, leader of the Likud party, won a decisive victory, replacing Barak as prime minister, and fashioned a governing majority in alliance with Labor and other, mainly rightwing, parties.
The IDF resorted to excessive and indiscriminate use of lethal force, causing civilian deaths and serious injuries and damaging or destroying homes and other property. In one case directly investigated by Human Rights Watch, on December 22, 2000, IDF soldiers used live ammunition against a stone-throwing crowd of Palestinian youth in Hebron district, killing 15-year-old Arafat al-Jabarin with several shots. The soldiers, equipped with several armored cars and a tank, were located in a defensible position above and nearly 150 meters from the youths. Given the distance and the elevation, the stone throwers did not pose the "grave threat to life" that both the United Nations (U.N.) Basic Principles on the Use of Force and Firearms by Law Enforcement Officials and the IDF's own open fire regulations require before allowing the use of lethal fire. The subsequent IDF account of the incident did not allege any use of firearms by Palestinians, and said that the IDF had responded "with riot dispersal equipment." In another incident, on June 9, an IDF tank fired flechette shells in a populated area between Gaza City and the settlement of Netzarim. The shells, which spread razor-sharp darts over a wide area, killed three Palestinian women and injured three others. IDF officials initially said they fired in response to Palestinian gunfire from the area, but Prime Minister Sharon acknowledged on June 11 that the killing of the three women "should not have happened." IDF officials said that they opened an internal inquiry, but the results had not been made public as of this writing.
As the clashes continued, Palestinians fired at Israeli settlers and carried out suicide bombings against Israeli civilians while the IDF made increasing use of heavy weaponry, including F-16 fighter jets, combat helicopters, tanks, and light rockets against Palestinian targets, including PA police stations, security offices, prisons, and other installations.
Under Prime Minister Sharon, Israel maintained the "liquidations" policy initiated by the previous Barak administration, targeting individuals whom it accused of planning or carrying out attacks on Israeli security forces or civilians. The IDF used snipers, helicopter-fired missiles, tanks, and explosive devices to carry out the assassinations. When first introduced, Israeli authorities justified the policy as neessary to prevent a "clear, specific and imminent terrorist threat," but then expanded it to include those considered responsible for planning or carrying out atttacks on Israelis. In some cases, however, it appeared that those targeted were killed in circumstances where Israeli forces could have arrested them. According to Israeli and Palestinian human rights groups, at least thirty-five Palestinians were targeted under the "liquidations" policy between November 2000 and October 2001. In one case under the Barak government, on December 31, 2000, IDF snipers killed Thabet Thabet, the secretary general of Tulkarem's Fatah branch and director general of the PA's Health Ministry. Israel subsequently accused him of being the regional head of a Palestinian squad responsible for shooting at Israelis. On January 9, Thabet's widow petitioned the Israeli Supreme Court to order Prime Minister Ehud Barak to refrain from "executing people without trial." The court first accepted to hear the petition but then changed its decision when the government contended that the court had no jurisdiction in the matter.
Israeli security forces were responsible for a number of killings and shootings of Palestinian civilians under circumstances that warranted investigation and possible criminal prosecution. In January, the Israeli government publicly categorized the clashes as constituting "armed conflict" and insisted that it was therefore under no obligation to carry out investigations of wrongful deaths at the hands of its security forces. There was no investigation, for instance, of a February incident where soldiers opened fire on a minibus carrying sixteen Palestinian workers to their jobs, killing twenty-year-old Ziad Abu Swayyeh and injuring several others, one seriously. The shootings took place when the minibus, after driving around an army roadblock, followed the soldiers' orders and turned around to go back to al-Khadr, near Bethlehem.
http://www.hrw.org/wr2k2/mena5.html
Israel and the Occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip
The Israeli-Palestinian clashes continued throughout the first ten months of 2001. In December 2000, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak and his Labor Party-led coalition lost office following an early election for prime minister called by Barak. Ariel Sharon, leader of the Likud party, won a decisive victory, replacing Barak as prime minister, and fashioned a governing majority in alliance with Labor and other, mainly rightwing, parties.
The IDF resorted to excessive and indiscriminate use of lethal force, causing civilian deaths and serious injuries and damaging or destroying homes and other property. In one case directly investigated by Human Rights Watch, on December 22, 2000, IDF soldiers used live ammunition against a stone-throwing crowd of Palestinian youth in Hebron district, killing 15-year-old Arafat al-Jabarin with several shots. The soldiers, equipped with several armored cars and a tank, were located in a defensible position above and nearly 150 meters from the youths. Given the distance and the elevation, the stone throwers did not pose the "grave threat to life" that both the United Nations (U.N.) Basic Principles on the Use of Force and Firearms by Law Enforcement Officials and the IDF's own open fire regulations require before allowing the use of lethal fire. The subsequent IDF account of the incident did not allege any use of firearms by Palestinians, and said that the IDF had responded "with riot dispersal equipment." In another incident, on June 9, an IDF tank fired flechette shells in a populated area between Gaza City and the settlement of Netzarim. The shells, which spread razor-sharp darts over a wide area, killed three Palestinian women and injured three others. IDF officials initially said they fired in response to Palestinian gunfire from the area, but Prime Minister Sharon acknowledged on June 11 that the killing of the three women "should not have happened." IDF officials said that they opened an internal inquiry, but the results had not been made public as of this writing.
As the clashes continued, Palestinians fired at Israeli settlers and carried out suicide bombings against Israeli civilians while the IDF made increasing use of heavy weaponry, including F-16 fighter jets, combat helicopters, tanks, and light rockets against Palestinian targets, including PA police stations, security offices, prisons, and other installations.
Under Prime Minister Sharon, Israel maintained the "liquidations" policy initiated by the previous Barak administration, targeting individuals whom it accused of planning or carrying out attacks on Israeli security forces or civilians. The IDF used snipers, helicopter-fired missiles, tanks, and explosive devices to carry out the assassinations. When first introduced, Israeli authorities justified the policy as neessary to prevent a "clear, specific and imminent terrorist threat," but then expanded it to include those considered responsible for planning or carrying out atttacks on Israelis. In some cases, however, it appeared that those targeted were killed in circumstances where Israeli forces could have arrested them. According to Israeli and Palestinian human rights groups, at least thirty-five Palestinians were targeted under the "liquidations" policy between November 2000 and October 2001. In one case under the Barak government, on December 31, 2000, IDF snipers killed Thabet Thabet, the secretary general of Tulkarem's Fatah branch and director general of the PA's Health Ministry. Israel subsequently accused him of being the regional head of a Palestinian squad responsible for shooting at Israelis. On January 9, Thabet's widow petitioned the Israeli Supreme Court to order Prime Minister Ehud Barak to refrain from "executing people without trial." The court first accepted to hear the petition but then changed its decision when the government contended that the court had no jurisdiction in the matter.
Israeli security forces were responsible for a number of killings and shootings of Palestinian civilians under circumstances that warranted investigation and possible criminal prosecution. In January, the Israeli government publicly categorized the clashes as constituting "armed conflict" and insisted that it was therefore under no obligation to carry out investigations of wrongful deaths at the hands of its security forces. There was no investigation, for instance, of a February incident where soldiers opened fire on a minibus carrying sixteen Palestinian workers to their jobs, killing twenty-year-old Ziad Abu Swayyeh and injuring several others, one seriously. The shootings took place when the minibus, after driving around an army roadblock, followed the soldiers' orders and turned around to go back to al-Khadr, near Bethlehem.
http://www.hrw.org/wr2k2/mena5.html
Middle East and North Africa Overview
Clashes between Israelis and Palestinians that erupted in September 2000 overshadowed most other developments in the Middle East and North Africa region. Over seven hundred Palestinians and over two hundred Israelis, many of them civilians, were killed in the violence by November 2001. The conflict was marked by attacks on civilians and civilian objects by both Israeli security forces and Palestinian armed groups, suggesting that respect for fundamental human rights and humanitarian law principles counted for little among leaders of either side.
Israeli security forces were responsible for extensive abuses, including indiscriminate and excessive use of lethal force against unarmed Palestinian demonstrators; unlawful killings by Israel Defense Forces (IDF) soldiers; disproportionate IDF gunfire in response to Palestinian attacks; and inadequate IDF response to abuses by Israeli settlers against Palestinian civilians; and "closure" measures on Palestinian communities that amounted to collective punishment. They also mounted a series of killings of suspected Palestinian militants under a controversial "liquidations" policy directed against those believed responsible for orchestrating attacks against Israelis.
For its part, the Palestinian Authority (PA) did little to exercise its responsibility to take all possible measures to prevent and punish armed attacks by Palestinians against Israeli civilians, including suicide bombings. In addition, the various security forces of the Palestinian Authority carried out arbitrary arrests of alleged Palestinian "collaborators" with Israel. Many were held in prolonged detention without trial and tortured; others were sentenced to death after unfair trials and two were executed. The PA also arrested some Islamist and other militants suspected of responsibility for attacks against Israelis and held them in untried detention. Both Israeli and Palestinian authorities failed to take the necessary steps to stop the security forces under their control from committing abuses, and failed to adequately investigate and punish the perpetrators.
http://www.hrw.org/wr2k2/mena.html
Clashes between Israelis and Palestinians that erupted in September 2000 overshadowed most other developments in the Middle East and North Africa region. Over seven hundred Palestinians and over two hundred Israelis, many of them civilians, were killed in the violence by November 2001. The conflict was marked by attacks on civilians and civilian objects by both Israeli security forces and Palestinian armed groups, suggesting that respect for fundamental human rights and humanitarian law principles counted for little among leaders of either side.
Israeli security forces were responsible for extensive abuses, including indiscriminate and excessive use of lethal force against unarmed Palestinian demonstrators; unlawful killings by Israel Defense Forces (IDF) soldiers; disproportionate IDF gunfire in response to Palestinian attacks; and inadequate IDF response to abuses by Israeli settlers against Palestinian civilians; and "closure" measures on Palestinian communities that amounted to collective punishment. They also mounted a series of killings of suspected Palestinian militants under a controversial "liquidations" policy directed against those believed responsible for orchestrating attacks against Israelis.
For its part, the Palestinian Authority (PA) did little to exercise its responsibility to take all possible measures to prevent and punish armed attacks by Palestinians against Israeli civilians, including suicide bombings. In addition, the various security forces of the Palestinian Authority carried out arbitrary arrests of alleged Palestinian "collaborators" with Israel. Many were held in prolonged detention without trial and tortured; others were sentenced to death after unfair trials and two were executed. The PA also arrested some Islamist and other militants suspected of responsibility for attacks against Israelis and held them in untried detention. Both Israeli and Palestinian authorities failed to take the necessary steps to stop the security forces under their control from committing abuses, and failed to adequately investigate and punish the perpetrators.
http://www.hrw.org/wr2k2/mena.html
Identity Theft Heads the FTC'S Top 10 Consumer Fraud Complaints of 2001
Identity theft headed the top 10 consumer fraud complaints of 2001, according to the Federal Trade Commission. Identity theft accounted for 42 percent of the 204,000 complaints entered into the FTC's Consumer Sentinel database last year. The top 10 list of consumer fraud complaints includes:
Identity Theft (42%)
Internet Auctions (10%)
Internet Services and Computer Complaints (7%)
Shop-at-Home and Catalog Offers (6%)
Advance Fee Loans and Credit Protection (5%)
Prizes/Sweepstakes/Gifts (4%)
Business Opportunities and Work at Home Plans (4%)
Foreign Money Offers (4%)
Magazines and Buyers Clubs (3%)
Telephone Pay-Per-Call/Information Services (2%)
http://www.ftc.gov/opa/2002/01/idtheft.htm
Identity theft headed the top 10 consumer fraud complaints of 2001, according to the Federal Trade Commission. Identity theft accounted for 42 percent of the 204,000 complaints entered into the FTC's Consumer Sentinel database last year. The top 10 list of consumer fraud complaints includes:
Identity Theft (42%)
Internet Auctions (10%)
Internet Services and Computer Complaints (7%)
Shop-at-Home and Catalog Offers (6%)
Advance Fee Loans and Credit Protection (5%)
Prizes/Sweepstakes/Gifts (4%)
Business Opportunities and Work at Home Plans (4%)
Foreign Money Offers (4%)
Magazines and Buyers Clubs (3%)
Telephone Pay-Per-Call/Information Services (2%)
http://www.ftc.gov/opa/2002/01/idtheft.htm
Friday, January 25, 2002
Playing Into Sharon's Hands
There is an oddly abstract quality to the current reaction to Palestinian belligerence, as if that belligerence were devoid of context. Of course, it is not. The Palestinian people will have to think long and hard about how their actions led them to the edge of the abyss. But regardless of how the current intifada began, it has by now become a mutually reinforcing cycle of Palestinian violence and terror on the one hand and devastating Israeli military attacks on the other.
As evidenced by the increasing number of Palestinians protesting even halfhearted efforts by Yasir Arafat to detain his militants, for the Palestinian Authority to crack down on its own people while Israel maintains its aggressive military action is politically and practically implausible.
Of course, the United States is justified in pressuring Chairman Arafat to act against Palestinian terrorists. But so, too, must it admonish Prime Minister Ariel Sharon to cease those policies that inflame the Palestinian public and paralyze its security services: the targeted assassinations, home demolitions, suffocating closures and creeping reoccupation. By his actions, and not without considerable help from the Palestinians, Mr. Sharon has done all in his power to make it unfeasible for them to meet their obligations. For Mr. Arafat to play into Mr. Sharon's hands in this, alas, has come to be expected. But for the rest of us?
http://www.nytimes.com/2002/01/25/opinion/25MALL.html
There is an oddly abstract quality to the current reaction to Palestinian belligerence, as if that belligerence were devoid of context. Of course, it is not. The Palestinian people will have to think long and hard about how their actions led them to the edge of the abyss. But regardless of how the current intifada began, it has by now become a mutually reinforcing cycle of Palestinian violence and terror on the one hand and devastating Israeli military attacks on the other.
As evidenced by the increasing number of Palestinians protesting even halfhearted efforts by Yasir Arafat to detain his militants, for the Palestinian Authority to crack down on its own people while Israel maintains its aggressive military action is politically and practically implausible.
Of course, the United States is justified in pressuring Chairman Arafat to act against Palestinian terrorists. But so, too, must it admonish Prime Minister Ariel Sharon to cease those policies that inflame the Palestinian public and paralyze its security services: the targeted assassinations, home demolitions, suffocating closures and creeping reoccupation. By his actions, and not without considerable help from the Palestinians, Mr. Sharon has done all in his power to make it unfeasible for them to meet their obligations. For Mr. Arafat to play into Mr. Sharon's hands in this, alas, has come to be expected. But for the rest of us?
http://www.nytimes.com/2002/01/25/opinion/25MALL.html
Arafat Adviser Warns U.S.
A U.S. decision to cut ties with the Palestinian Authority ``will cause an earthquake in the region that no one will be able to stop,'' Abu Rdeneh said.
``What is needed is to isolate Sharon,'' he said.
Arafat, who has been confined by Israel to his West Bank headquarters in the town of Ramallah for the past week, has not commented on the U.S. policy shift.
In an interview with Greek TV earlier Friday, Arafat accused the world of ignoring the plight of the Palestinians. ``We are the only people under occupation all over the world. Can this be accepted internationally?''
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/international/AP-Arafat-US.html
A U.S. decision to cut ties with the Palestinian Authority ``will cause an earthquake in the region that no one will be able to stop,'' Abu Rdeneh said.
``What is needed is to isolate Sharon,'' he said.
Arafat, who has been confined by Israel to his West Bank headquarters in the town of Ramallah for the past week, has not commented on the U.S. policy shift.
In an interview with Greek TV earlier Friday, Arafat accused the world of ignoring the plight of the Palestinians. ``We are the only people under occupation all over the world. Can this be accepted internationally?''
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/international/AP-Arafat-US.html
Car Bomb Kills Figure in 1982 Lebanese Massacre
Mr. Hobeika had just this week reaffirmed that he would testify in a case initiated by Palestinians in a Belgian court last June against the Israeli prime minister, Ariel Sharon, accusing him of war crimes in connection with the massacre.
Mr. Hobeika, 45, was the intelligence chief of the pro-Israel Lebanese Forces militia that was held responsible for the slayings of hundreds of men, women and children in the Palestinian refugee camps in September 1982. An Israeli commission of inquiry found that Mr. Sharon, then the defense minister and architect of the Israeli invasion of Lebanon, was among those who bore "indirect responsibility" for the massacre.
http://www.nytimes.com/2002/01/25/international/middleeast/25LEBA.html
Mr. Hobeika had just this week reaffirmed that he would testify in a case initiated by Palestinians in a Belgian court last June against the Israeli prime minister, Ariel Sharon, accusing him of war crimes in connection with the massacre.
Mr. Hobeika, 45, was the intelligence chief of the pro-Israel Lebanese Forces militia that was held responsible for the slayings of hundreds of men, women and children in the Palestinian refugee camps in September 1982. An Israeli commission of inquiry found that Mr. Sharon, then the defense minister and architect of the Israeli invasion of Lebanon, was among those who bore "indirect responsibility" for the massacre.
http://www.nytimes.com/2002/01/25/international/middleeast/25LEBA.html
Thursday, January 24, 2002
U.S. Suspends the Transport of Terror Suspects to Cuba
The United States' treatment of the prisoners has drawn especially blunt criticism from Europe, where it has raised fears that Washington may be applying international law selectively.
The decision by the Pentagon to keep the detainees outside the United States and not to classify them as prisoners of war under the Geneva Conventions has troubled European and other allies. The United States may be "making up the rules as it goes along," said a West European ambassador here.
"This is international law à la carte, like multilateralism à la carte," the ambassador said. "It annoys your allies in the war against terrorism and it creates problems for our Muslim allies, too. It puts at stake the moral credibility of the war against terrorism."
In the last few days, the German and Dutch governments and the European Union have openly criticized the treatment of the captives. They were spurred by a Pentagon photograph of bound, shackled prisoners, their heads and eyes covered, kneeling before American soldiers.
http://www.nytimes.com/2002/01/24/international/americas/24DETA.html
The United States' treatment of the prisoners has drawn especially blunt criticism from Europe, where it has raised fears that Washington may be applying international law selectively.
The decision by the Pentagon to keep the detainees outside the United States and not to classify them as prisoners of war under the Geneva Conventions has troubled European and other allies. The United States may be "making up the rules as it goes along," said a West European ambassador here.
"This is international law à la carte, like multilateralism à la carte," the ambassador said. "It annoys your allies in the war against terrorism and it creates problems for our Muslim allies, too. It puts at stake the moral credibility of the war against terrorism."
In the last few days, the German and Dutch governments and the European Union have openly criticized the treatment of the captives. They were spurred by a Pentagon photograph of bound, shackled prisoners, their heads and eyes covered, kneeling before American soldiers.
http://www.nytimes.com/2002/01/24/international/americas/24DETA.html
Wednesday, January 23, 2002
Census Bureau Estimates 115,000 Middle Eastern Immigrants Are in the U.S. Illegally
The estimates do not include the number of illegal immigrants from Pakistan and from the Arab nations of northern Africa. Immigration officials said there were 40,000 illegal immigrants from Pakistan.
Whatever the grand total, it far outstrips the 6,000 Middle Eastern men recently sought by the Justice Department for ignoring deportation orders.
Responding to the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, the authorities said this month that federal, state and local officials would work with immigration officers to find and deport such immigrants.
At least three of the hijackers on Sept. 11 were in the United States illegally, the authorities say.
http://www.nytimes.com/2002/01/23/national/23IMMI.html?todaysheadlines&pagewanted=all
The estimates do not include the number of illegal immigrants from Pakistan and from the Arab nations of northern Africa. Immigration officials said there were 40,000 illegal immigrants from Pakistan.
Whatever the grand total, it far outstrips the 6,000 Middle Eastern men recently sought by the Justice Department for ignoring deportation orders.
Responding to the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, the authorities said this month that federal, state and local officials would work with immigration officers to find and deport such immigrants.
At least three of the hijackers on Sept. 11 were in the United States illegally, the authorities say.
http://www.nytimes.com/2002/01/23/national/23IMMI.html?todaysheadlines&pagewanted=all
Saturday, January 19, 2002
The Fate of Qaeda Prisoners
…One of the most dangerous problems in the world today is that those who commit human rights violations so frequently get away with them. It is therefore critical that everyone responsible for the Sept. 11 attacks and for human rights crimes in Afghanistan be brought to justice.
How that happens, however, will ultimately help determine the success of the war on terrorism. President Bush has made it clear that this is a war not just to protect national security but also to defend principles of freedom and the rule of law. It is those very principles, as embodied, for example, in the Geneva Conventions on prisoners of war and civilian protection and in the United Nations Body of Principles for the Protection of All Persons Under Any Form of Detention or Imprisonment, that require prisoners to be treated humanely.
To the extent that the United States has decided to accord Taliban and Qaeda detainees at least some of the rights of prisoners of war, it should be commended. But the International Red Cross has declared that they should be treated as prisoners of war until proven otherwise, and to the extent that the United States ignores that ruling and disregards international standards, we compromise the very integrity of the struggle we are waging. The danger is that we hand the enemies of the rule of law — those who are looking for any opportunity to convince the world of our hypocrisy — a perfect excuse and an easy victory.
And we do two things more. We provide cover to other governments to ignore human rights standards and in the process make their regions of the world less stable. If the United States does not abide by human rights rules, why should others? And, perhaps most compelling, we may subject our own troops to greater peril.
http://www.nytimes.com/2002/01/19/opinion/19SCHU.html
…One of the most dangerous problems in the world today is that those who commit human rights violations so frequently get away with them. It is therefore critical that everyone responsible for the Sept. 11 attacks and for human rights crimes in Afghanistan be brought to justice.
How that happens, however, will ultimately help determine the success of the war on terrorism. President Bush has made it clear that this is a war not just to protect national security but also to defend principles of freedom and the rule of law. It is those very principles, as embodied, for example, in the Geneva Conventions on prisoners of war and civilian protection and in the United Nations Body of Principles for the Protection of All Persons Under Any Form of Detention or Imprisonment, that require prisoners to be treated humanely.
To the extent that the United States has decided to accord Taliban and Qaeda detainees at least some of the rights of prisoners of war, it should be commended. But the International Red Cross has declared that they should be treated as prisoners of war until proven otherwise, and to the extent that the United States ignores that ruling and disregards international standards, we compromise the very integrity of the struggle we are waging. The danger is that we hand the enemies of the rule of law — those who are looking for any opportunity to convince the world of our hypocrisy — a perfect excuse and an easy victory.
And we do two things more. We provide cover to other governments to ignore human rights standards and in the process make their regions of the world less stable. If the United States does not abide by human rights rules, why should others? And, perhaps most compelling, we may subject our own troops to greater peril.
http://www.nytimes.com/2002/01/19/opinion/19SCHU.html
Public Opinion on Poverty,Income Inequality and Public Policy: 1996-2001
The conventional wisdom used to explain why the United States has failed to adopt comprehensive anti-poverty measures has been that the public "hates the poor" and blames them for failing get ahead. This review of public opinion over the last five years reveals that the public's views are both more complex and supportive than is generally assumed.
http://www.demos-usa.org/Pubs/POReport/default.asp?page=/Pubs/POReport/conclusion.htm
The conventional wisdom used to explain why the United States has failed to adopt comprehensive anti-poverty measures has been that the public "hates the poor" and blames them for failing get ahead. This review of public opinion over the last five years reveals that the public's views are both more complex and supportive than is generally assumed.
http://www.demos-usa.org/Pubs/POReport/default.asp?page=/Pubs/POReport/conclusion.htm
Friday, January 18, 2002
EPIC Sues Govt. Agencies Over Privacy Data
Federal agencies, including the FBI, the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Internal Revenue Service, have purchased personal information from profiling companies such as Experian Information Solutions Inc. and ChoicePoint Inc., the suit alleges.
EPIC officials said they have documents that show these companies have sold the IRS credit data, property records, and marriage and divorce data.
"Through the mining of public records and the purchase of credit reporting data, private sector companies are amassing troves of personal information on citizens for the government," said Chris Hoofnagle, an attorney with EPIC in Washington. "Serious questions exist involving citizen access to profiles, their accuracy and the potential for misuse of personal information."
Under FOIA regulations, the recipient of a request for information has 20 working days to respond. EPIC's suit alleges that the various law enforcement agencies to which it sent requests not only failed to respond within the allotted time, but haven't responded at all.
http://www.eweek.com/article/0,3658,s%253D701%2526a%253D21275,00.asp
Federal agencies, including the FBI, the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Internal Revenue Service, have purchased personal information from profiling companies such as Experian Information Solutions Inc. and ChoicePoint Inc., the suit alleges.
EPIC officials said they have documents that show these companies have sold the IRS credit data, property records, and marriage and divorce data.
"Through the mining of public records and the purchase of credit reporting data, private sector companies are amassing troves of personal information on citizens for the government," said Chris Hoofnagle, an attorney with EPIC in Washington. "Serious questions exist involving citizen access to profiles, their accuracy and the potential for misuse of personal information."
Under FOIA regulations, the recipient of a request for information has 20 working days to respond. EPIC's suit alleges that the various law enforcement agencies to which it sent requests not only failed to respond within the allotted time, but haven't responded at all.
http://www.eweek.com/article/0,3658,s%253D701%2526a%253D21275,00.asp
Thursday, January 17, 2002
Baby Bells Preparing to Reveal Customers' Personal Calling Data
Security Update 10 January 2002
In a move so brazen that it has rendered thousands consumers first incredulous and then irate, at least two of the United States' regional telephone monopolies have sent notices to customers indicating that they intend to trade, sell, or use for marketing purposes the calling records they accumulate from every telephone customer. These records include not only whom, when, and where you call, but also -- if you're on a wireless phone -- your physical location. They can be used to program telemarketers' computers to call you when you are most likely to be home -- or to compile a dossier of your most frequent contacts.
http://www.extremetech.com/article/0,3396,s%253D25124%2526a%253D21033,00.asp
Wednesday, January 16, 2002
Justices Limit Reach of Arbitration Law
The Supreme Court ruled today that arbitration agreements that bar employees from suing their employers for discrimination cannot prevent a federal agency from going to court on the workers' behalf and seeking back pay, damages and reinstatement for victims of discrimination.
http://www.nytimes.com/2002/01/16/national/16SCOT.html?todaysheadlines&pagewanted=all
The Supreme Court ruled today that arbitration agreements that bar employees from suing their employers for discrimination cannot prevent a federal agency from going to court on the workers' behalf and seeking back pay, damages and reinstatement for victims of discrimination.
http://www.nytimes.com/2002/01/16/national/16SCOT.html?todaysheadlines&pagewanted=all
Tuesday, January 15, 2002
Britain Turns Aside Criticism About U.S. Treatment of Detainees
Amnesty International called their treatment "cruel, degrading and inhumane" and said, "Degrading treatment of prisoners is a flagrant violation of international law which cannot be justified under any circumstances." Human Rights Watch stated, "The proposed cages are a scandal. The United States should not be transporting detainees to Cuba until it can provide decent shelter."
Both organizations disputed the decision announced by Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld on Friday that the prisoners would be held as "unlawful combatants", a status that gives them less protection than the Geneva Convention affords prisoners of war. "The U.S. is placing these people in legal limbo," Amnesty said today. "They deny that they are prisoners of war (POWs) while at the same time failing to provide them with the most basic protections of any person deprived of their liberty."
Geoffrey Robertson, a prominent London rights lawyer, called Mr. Rumsfeld's finding "deplorable" and said the United States was abandoning the same Geneva Convention protections that had saved the lives of American prisoners in Korea and Vietnam. He urged Britain "to remind our U.S. allies that the conventions lay down that anyone captured in the course of such a conflict must be presumed to have POW status until a competent court — not Donald Rumsfeld — declares otherwise."
http://www.nytimes.com/2002/01/15/international/15CND-BRITAIN.html
Amnesty International called their treatment "cruel, degrading and inhumane" and said, "Degrading treatment of prisoners is a flagrant violation of international law which cannot be justified under any circumstances." Human Rights Watch stated, "The proposed cages are a scandal. The United States should not be transporting detainees to Cuba until it can provide decent shelter."
Both organizations disputed the decision announced by Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld on Friday that the prisoners would be held as "unlawful combatants", a status that gives them less protection than the Geneva Convention affords prisoners of war. "The U.S. is placing these people in legal limbo," Amnesty said today. "They deny that they are prisoners of war (POWs) while at the same time failing to provide them with the most basic protections of any person deprived of their liberty."
Geoffrey Robertson, a prominent London rights lawyer, called Mr. Rumsfeld's finding "deplorable" and said the United States was abandoning the same Geneva Convention protections that had saved the lives of American prisoners in Korea and Vietnam. He urged Britain "to remind our U.S. allies that the conventions lay down that anyone captured in the course of such a conflict must be presumed to have POW status until a competent court — not Donald Rumsfeld — declares otherwise."
http://www.nytimes.com/2002/01/15/international/15CND-BRITAIN.html
Doctors' New Practices Offer Deluxe Service for Deluxe Fee
If you had a substantial portion of America's doctors doing this, who's going to take care of everybody else?" said Dr. Richard Roberts, chairman of the American Academy of Family Physicians. "We've got 40- plus million people in this country without health insurance, another 20 million who are underinsured. What's wrong with this picture?"
http://www.nytimes.com/2002/01/15/health/15DOCT.html?todaysheadlines&pagewanted=all
If you had a substantial portion of America's doctors doing this, who's going to take care of everybody else?" said Dr. Richard Roberts, chairman of the American Academy of Family Physicians. "We've got 40- plus million people in this country without health insurance, another 20 million who are underinsured. What's wrong with this picture?"
http://www.nytimes.com/2002/01/15/health/15DOCT.html?todaysheadlines&pagewanted=all
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