Waiting for America
In the bitterness and violence of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict today, can there be any hope of peace? Two longtime negotiators, Yasir Abed Rabbo of the Palestinian Authority and Yossi Beilin, former justice minister of Israel, insist that there can. But they both say it will require U.S. intervention.
http://www.nytimes.com/2001/11/17/opinion/17LEWI.html
Sunday, November 18, 2001
Friday, November 16, 2001
Seizing Dictatorial Power
Misadvised by a frustrated and panic-stricken attorney general, a president of the United States has just assumed what amounts to dictatorial power to jail or execute aliens. Intimidated by terrorists and inflamed by a passion for rough justice, we are letting George W. Bush get away with the replacement of the American rule of law with military kangaroo courts.
In his infamous emergency order, Bush admits to dismissing "the principles of law and the rules of evidence" that undergird America's system of justice. He seizes the power to circumvent the courts and set up his own drumhead tribunals — panels of officers who will sit in judgment of non-citizens who the president need only claim "reason to believe" are members of terrorist organizations.
Not content with his previous decision to permit police to eavesdrop on a suspect's conversations with an attorney, Bush now strips the alien accused of even the limited rights afforded by a court-martial.
http://www.nytimes.com/2001/11/15/opinion/15SAFI.html
Misadvised by a frustrated and panic-stricken attorney general, a president of the United States has just assumed what amounts to dictatorial power to jail or execute aliens. Intimidated by terrorists and inflamed by a passion for rough justice, we are letting George W. Bush get away with the replacement of the American rule of law with military kangaroo courts.
In his infamous emergency order, Bush admits to dismissing "the principles of law and the rules of evidence" that undergird America's system of justice. He seizes the power to circumvent the courts and set up his own drumhead tribunals — panels of officers who will sit in judgment of non-citizens who the president need only claim "reason to believe" are members of terrorist organizations.
Not content with his previous decision to permit police to eavesdrop on a suspect's conversations with an attorney, Bush now strips the alien accused of even the limited rights afforded by a court-martial.
http://www.nytimes.com/2001/11/15/opinion/15SAFI.html
News: Chip revolution turns 30
The foundation of modern computing was something of an accident.
The Intel 4004 Microprocessor, which debuted thirty years ago Thursday, sparked a technological revolution because it was the first product to fuse the essential elements of a programmable computer into a single chip.
Since then, processors have allowed manufacturers to embed intelligence into PCs, elevators, air bags, cameras, cell phones, beepers, key chains and farm equipment, among other devices.
But that's not the way the story was supposed to turn out.
http://www.zdnet.com/zdnn/stories/news/0,4586,2824457,00.html
The foundation of modern computing was something of an accident.
The Intel 4004 Microprocessor, which debuted thirty years ago Thursday, sparked a technological revolution because it was the first product to fuse the essential elements of a programmable computer into a single chip.
Since then, processors have allowed manufacturers to embed intelligence into PCs, elevators, air bags, cameras, cell phones, beepers, key chains and farm equipment, among other devices.
But that's not the way the story was supposed to turn out.
http://www.zdnet.com/zdnn/stories/news/0,4586,2824457,00.html
Thursday, November 15, 2001
Al Qaeda Plans for Nuclear Bomb Reportedly Found
Al Qaeda Plans for Nuclear Bomb Reportedly Found
Detailed plans for a nuclear bomb similar to the one used on Nagasaki have been discovered in a hastily abandoned al Qaeda safe house in the Afghan capital of Kabul. The Times of London said that, after Kabul was taken by Northern Alliance fighters, one of its reporters covering the war in Afghanistan discovered the notes, along with applications for Canadian passports and other instructional material about weapons and bomb-making. Osama bin Laden, the al Qaeda leader suspected of masterminding the Sept. 11 attacks on the U.S., has previously claimed that his terrorist organization had a nuclear bomb. Western officials have dismissed that claim, but they say there is evidence that al Qaeda has tried to acquire chemical and biological weapons, as well as materials to build a nuclear bomb.
http://www.publicagenda.org/headlines/headline.htm
Al Qaeda Plans for Nuclear Bomb Reportedly Found
Detailed plans for a nuclear bomb similar to the one used on Nagasaki have been discovered in a hastily abandoned al Qaeda safe house in the Afghan capital of Kabul. The Times of London said that, after Kabul was taken by Northern Alliance fighters, one of its reporters covering the war in Afghanistan discovered the notes, along with applications for Canadian passports and other instructional material about weapons and bomb-making. Osama bin Laden, the al Qaeda leader suspected of masterminding the Sept. 11 attacks on the U.S., has previously claimed that his terrorist organization had a nuclear bomb. Western officials have dismissed that claim, but they say there is evidence that al Qaeda has tried to acquire chemical and biological weapons, as well as materials to build a nuclear bomb.
http://www.publicagenda.org/headlines/headline.htm
The Tower Builder
On September 11th, each building took the impact of a 767 (which is nearly twenty per cent heavier than a 707) and stood long enough to allow most of the people below the crash sites—the ninety-fourth floor to the ninety-ninth floor in the north tower, and the seventy-eighth floor to the eighty-fourth floor in the south tower—to escape. Had the buildings toppled immediately, nearly all those survivors would have died, and there would have been huge losses as well in the buildings and streets around the towers. The fact that the terrorists chose to hit the buildings on opposite faces suggests to some that they intended to knock the buildings over—which would have increased the destruction and loss of life. "Ninety-nine per cent of all buildings would collapse immediately when hit by a 767," Jon Magnusson said.
http://www.newyorker.com/FACT/
On September 11th, each building took the impact of a 767 (which is nearly twenty per cent heavier than a 707) and stood long enough to allow most of the people below the crash sites—the ninety-fourth floor to the ninety-ninth floor in the north tower, and the seventy-eighth floor to the eighty-fourth floor in the south tower—to escape. Had the buildings toppled immediately, nearly all those survivors would have died, and there would have been huge losses as well in the buildings and streets around the towers. The fact that the terrorists chose to hit the buildings on opposite faces suggests to some that they intended to knock the buildings over—which would have increased the destruction and loss of life. "Ninety-nine per cent of all buildings would collapse immediately when hit by a 767," Jon Magnusson said.
http://www.newyorker.com/FACT/
Death of a Child: How Israel's Army Responds
Khalil Mughrabi, an 11-year-old Palestinian boy, was resting after a soccer game on July 7 in Rafah, in the Gaza Strip, when an Israeli tank fired warning shots to repel nearby protesters. A bullet pierced the boy's head, killing him instantly.
Last week a sheaf of documents from the Israeli Army arrived at the offices of the human rights group B'tselem, containing records of a military inquiry into the incident.
B'tselem had asked the army about the case, and unexpectedly received the military's file of its internal investigation through an unusual — and apparently inadvertent — disclosure. An accompanying letter informed B'tselem that no criminal wrongdoing by soldiers was suspected, and therefore the military police would not investigate.
But the file tells a different story, strongly suggesting culpability by the soldiers. It provides a rare glimpse of how the Israeli Army investigates killings, decides whether to take disciplinary action and formulates public responses.
http://www.nytimes.com/2001/11/13/international/middleeast/13ISRA.html
Khalil Mughrabi, an 11-year-old Palestinian boy, was resting after a soccer game on July 7 in Rafah, in the Gaza Strip, when an Israeli tank fired warning shots to repel nearby protesters. A bullet pierced the boy's head, killing him instantly.
Last week a sheaf of documents from the Israeli Army arrived at the offices of the human rights group B'tselem, containing records of a military inquiry into the incident.
B'tselem had asked the army about the case, and unexpectedly received the military's file of its internal investigation through an unusual — and apparently inadvertent — disclosure. An accompanying letter informed B'tselem that no criminal wrongdoing by soldiers was suspected, and therefore the military police would not investigate.
But the file tells a different story, strongly suggesting culpability by the soldiers. It provides a rare glimpse of how the Israeli Army investigates killings, decides whether to take disciplinary action and formulates public responses.
http://www.nytimes.com/2001/11/13/international/middleeast/13ISRA.html
Monday, November 12, 2001
Ballots Cast by Blacks and Older Voters Were Tossed in Far Greater Numbers
"The finding about black voters is really strong," said Philip Klinkner, a political science professor at Hamilton College who has studied the Florida vote and reviewed the Times study. "It raises the issue about whether there's some way that the voting system is set up that discriminates against blacks."
There is no conclusive evidence of systematic efforts to discriminate against blacks, but this pattern — the same kind that courts look at in determining racial discrimination in voting rights lawsuits — raises suspicions.
"It raises questions about how they administer elections — where they put the best voting machines, how many poll workers they put out, what kind of education is done," Mr. Klinkner said.
Alan J. Lichtman, a political science professor at American University, said, "It suggests there was not just a disparate effect, but disparate treatment — not necessarily deliberate — of black voters in the election." Mr. Lichtman came to a similar conclusion in a study of more limited data for the United States Civil Rights Commission.
http://www.nytimes.com/2001/11/12/politics/recount/12NUMB.html
"The finding about black voters is really strong," said Philip Klinkner, a political science professor at Hamilton College who has studied the Florida vote and reviewed the Times study. "It raises the issue about whether there's some way that the voting system is set up that discriminates against blacks."
There is no conclusive evidence of systematic efforts to discriminate against blacks, but this pattern — the same kind that courts look at in determining racial discrimination in voting rights lawsuits — raises suspicions.
"It raises questions about how they administer elections — where they put the best voting machines, how many poll workers they put out, what kind of education is done," Mr. Klinkner said.
Alan J. Lichtman, a political science professor at American University, said, "It suggests there was not just a disparate effect, but disparate treatment — not necessarily deliberate — of black voters in the election." Mr. Lichtman came to a similar conclusion in a study of more limited data for the United States Civil Rights Commission.
http://www.nytimes.com/2001/11/12/politics/recount/12NUMB.html
Sagging Economy Threatens Health Coverage
A 1986 federal law allows people to keep their health insurance even after they lose their jobs, but they must pick up the full cost of the premiums — a huge burden for someone laid off, as much as $500 or $600 a month for coverage of a family, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation.
At the same time, state officials and health care experts are warning that the basic government safety net for covering low-income people — the Medicaid program, jointly financed by the states and the federal government — is under increasing strain. Declining tax revenues because of the economy, rising health care costs and an expected jump in the Medicaid caseload because of layoffs all make for a dangerous combination, officials say.
http://www.nytimes.com/2001/11/12/national/12HEAL.html?todaysheadlines&pagewanted=all
A 1986 federal law allows people to keep their health insurance even after they lose their jobs, but they must pick up the full cost of the premiums — a huge burden for someone laid off, as much as $500 or $600 a month for coverage of a family, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation.
At the same time, state officials and health care experts are warning that the basic government safety net for covering low-income people — the Medicaid program, jointly financed by the states and the federal government — is under increasing strain. Declining tax revenues because of the economy, rising health care costs and an expected jump in the Medicaid caseload because of layoffs all make for a dangerous combination, officials say.
http://www.nytimes.com/2001/11/12/national/12HEAL.html?todaysheadlines&pagewanted=all
Sunday, November 11, 2001
Israeli Minister Vacates Home After Assassination Warning
Israeli security agencies have been on alert for possible threats to senior Israeli political and military figures since the assassination on Oct. 17 of Rehavam Zeevi at a Jerusalem hotel. The militant Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine claimed responsibility for that killing, calling it revenge for Israel's assassination of the group's leader, Mustafa Zibri, known as Abu Ali Mustafa, in a helicopter missile strike on his headquarters in August.
The killing of Mr. Zibri, a senior official in the Palestine Liberation Organization, marked the first time Israel had assassinated the head of a Palestinian faction as part of its policy of killing suspected militants. Israeli officials said that Mr. Zibri had organized terrorist cells responsible for several car bombings, but Palestinian officials called him a political figure, and warned of retaliation in kind.
http://www.nytimes.com/2001/11/10/international/middleeast/10MIDE.html
Israeli security agencies have been on alert for possible threats to senior Israeli political and military figures since the assassination on Oct. 17 of Rehavam Zeevi at a Jerusalem hotel. The militant Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine claimed responsibility for that killing, calling it revenge for Israel's assassination of the group's leader, Mustafa Zibri, known as Abu Ali Mustafa, in a helicopter missile strike on his headquarters in August.
The killing of Mr. Zibri, a senior official in the Palestine Liberation Organization, marked the first time Israel had assassinated the head of a Palestinian faction as part of its policy of killing suspected militants. Israeli officials said that Mr. Zibri had organized terrorist cells responsible for several car bombings, but Palestinian officials called him a political figure, and warned of retaliation in kind.
http://www.nytimes.com/2001/11/10/international/middleeast/10MIDE.html
Harsh Civics Lesson for Immigrants
The startling new lesson about this country for the immigrant owner, accountant, maître d' and busboy at the Crazy Tomato restaurant was forced upon them a month ago in a incident known as the perp walk.
This was the photo arranged by law-enforcement officials that saw the four Islamic restaurant workers and five Islamic friends paraded in prison stripes, leg irons and manacles across the front page of the hometown newspaper.
The preceding court hearing had been tightly closed to public view, with the windows taped and a gag order invoked against ever discussing it. So the perp, as in perpetrator, walk would have to do for anyone curious about the innocence or guilt of the nine caught in the terrorist dragnet.
"I am so happy to come back to my real life," declared Khaled Nassr, exultant tonight at surviving the perp walk and standing fetter- free once more as maître d' at the Crazy Tomato.
"All I want to do is make a better future," said Mr. Nassr, more interested in discussing the veal parmigiano than Osama bin Laden.
But diners kept apologetically chatting to him about the experience of the Egyptian newcomers in this American community who, while never charged with crimes, were taken off in chains for a week.
http://www.nytimes.com/2001/11/11/national/11JOUR.html
The startling new lesson about this country for the immigrant owner, accountant, maître d' and busboy at the Crazy Tomato restaurant was forced upon them a month ago in a incident known as the perp walk.
This was the photo arranged by law-enforcement officials that saw the four Islamic restaurant workers and five Islamic friends paraded in prison stripes, leg irons and manacles across the front page of the hometown newspaper.
The preceding court hearing had been tightly closed to public view, with the windows taped and a gag order invoked against ever discussing it. So the perp, as in perpetrator, walk would have to do for anyone curious about the innocence or guilt of the nine caught in the terrorist dragnet.
"I am so happy to come back to my real life," declared Khaled Nassr, exultant tonight at surviving the perp walk and standing fetter- free once more as maître d' at the Crazy Tomato.
"All I want to do is make a better future," said Mr. Nassr, more interested in discussing the veal parmigiano than Osama bin Laden.
But diners kept apologetically chatting to him about the experience of the Egyptian newcomers in this American community who, while never charged with crimes, were taken off in chains for a week.
http://www.nytimes.com/2001/11/11/national/11JOUR.html
Single Letter With Anthrax Is Discounted
We're thinking there may be one more letter and maybe more than one," said Kenneth Newman, the deputy chief postal inspector for investigations.
The basis for this view, said John Nolan, the deputy postmaster general, is that experts at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say it is unlikely that the mail handler at a State Department postal center in Virginia who contracted inhalation anthrax could have been infected by a letter that had merely come in contact with the one to Mr. Daschle.
http://www.nytimes.com/2001/11/10/national/10ANTH.html?todaysheadlines&pagewanted=all
We're thinking there may be one more letter and maybe more than one," said Kenneth Newman, the deputy chief postal inspector for investigations.
The basis for this view, said John Nolan, the deputy postmaster general, is that experts at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say it is unlikely that the mail handler at a State Department postal center in Virginia who contracted inhalation anthrax could have been infected by a letter that had merely come in contact with the one to Mr. Daschle.
http://www.nytimes.com/2001/11/10/national/10ANTH.html?todaysheadlines&pagewanted=all
'Afghan Arabs' Said to Lead Taliban's Fight
The "Afghan Arabs," as the foreigners are called, are proving crucial to the survival of the Taliban, whose leaders are former religious students with limited military expertise. The American and Pakistani officials say the foreigners taking leading roles in military and internal security and — unlike their Afghan cohorts — cannot be bribed into defecting or swayed to surrender.
"The Arabs are the best fighters they have," said Anwar Sher, a retired Pakistani general with longstanding influence on Pakistan's intelligence officers and Afghan military commanders. "A group of 30 of them can engage a battalion of 1,000. They will kill 100 before they take a loss."
Aid workers now in Pakistan also identify the Afghan Arabs as the men who have attacked United Nations operations and offices in Kandahar, the eastern city of Jalalabad, Mazar-i-Sharif and other towns. The foreign fighters assaulted Afghans working for the United Nations, stole Land Cruisers and trucks and took hundreds of tons of wheat flour destined for destitute Afghans, the aid workers said.
One Afghan working for a United Nations relief agency described being spat on and threatened by several armed Arabs outside the main United Nations compound in Kabul hours after the first American bombing raids began Oct. 8.
"The Arabs are the ones you have to worry about most," he said. "They will kill you in a moment if they see any sign that you are resisting."
http://www.nytimes.com/2001/11/10/international/asia/10ARAB.html?todaysheadlines&pagewanted=all
The "Afghan Arabs," as the foreigners are called, are proving crucial to the survival of the Taliban, whose leaders are former religious students with limited military expertise. The American and Pakistani officials say the foreigners taking leading roles in military and internal security and — unlike their Afghan cohorts — cannot be bribed into defecting or swayed to surrender.
"The Arabs are the best fighters they have," said Anwar Sher, a retired Pakistani general with longstanding influence on Pakistan's intelligence officers and Afghan military commanders. "A group of 30 of them can engage a battalion of 1,000. They will kill 100 before they take a loss."
Aid workers now in Pakistan also identify the Afghan Arabs as the men who have attacked United Nations operations and offices in Kandahar, the eastern city of Jalalabad, Mazar-i-Sharif and other towns. The foreign fighters assaulted Afghans working for the United Nations, stole Land Cruisers and trucks and took hundreds of tons of wheat flour destined for destitute Afghans, the aid workers said.
One Afghan working for a United Nations relief agency described being spat on and threatened by several armed Arabs outside the main United Nations compound in Kabul hours after the first American bombing raids began Oct. 8.
"The Arabs are the ones you have to worry about most," he said. "They will kill you in a moment if they see any sign that you are resisting."
http://www.nytimes.com/2001/11/10/international/asia/10ARAB.html?todaysheadlines&pagewanted=all
Sunday, November 04, 2001
Hijackers' Meticulous Strategy of Brains, Muscle and Practice
What has emerged, nearly two months into the investigation, is a picture in which the roles of the 19 hijackers are so well defined as to be almost corporate in their organization and coordination.
http://www.nytimes.com/2001/11/04/national/04PLOT.html?todaysheadlines&pagewanted=all
What has emerged, nearly two months into the investigation, is a picture in which the roles of the 19 hijackers are so well defined as to be almost corporate in their organization and coordination.
http://www.nytimes.com/2001/11/04/national/04PLOT.html?todaysheadlines&pagewanted=all
SearchDay - Build Your Own Yahoo! - 1 November 2001
The itch to create your own online portal eventually strikes just about every web searcher, usually after you've built up a collection of a few thousand choice bookmarks or favorites that you'd love to share with the rest of the world. There are several ways to scratch this itch, and to do it properly, you should make sure you have the right tools for the job.
http://searchenginewatch.com/searchday/01/sd1101-directory.html
The itch to create your own online portal eventually strikes just about every web searcher, usually after you've built up a collection of a few thousand choice bookmarks or favorites that you'd love to share with the rest of the world. There are several ways to scratch this itch, and to do it properly, you should make sure you have the right tools for the job.
http://searchenginewatch.com/searchday/01/sd1101-directory.html
Saturday, November 03, 2001
The Rich-Poor Division Is in Stark Relief in Talks for Trade Agenda
Brazil and India are leading a coalition that wants trade rules rewritten to make it clear that nations can violate patents and save money on, for example, AIDS or malaria drugs when they face an acute health crisis.
They argue that poor countries often cannot afford vital medicine. Industrial nations, they say, often seek to punish them if they buy or produce knockoff versions of the drugs.
Paulo Teixeira, director of Brazil's anti-AIDS program, told reporters this week that the United States' efforts to reduce the price of Cipro, under threat of breaking Bayer's patent, mimics similar strong-arm tactics that Brazil has used. Washington threatened at one point to file a W.T.O. case against Brazil on behalf of American drug makers.
http://www.nytimes.com/2001/11/01/business/01TRAD.html
Brazil and India are leading a coalition that wants trade rules rewritten to make it clear that nations can violate patents and save money on, for example, AIDS or malaria drugs when they face an acute health crisis.
They argue that poor countries often cannot afford vital medicine. Industrial nations, they say, often seek to punish them if they buy or produce knockoff versions of the drugs.
Paulo Teixeira, director of Brazil's anti-AIDS program, told reporters this week that the United States' efforts to reduce the price of Cipro, under threat of breaking Bayer's patent, mimics similar strong-arm tactics that Brazil has used. Washington threatened at one point to file a W.T.O. case against Brazil on behalf of American drug makers.
http://www.nytimes.com/2001/11/01/business/01TRAD.html
Rich Nations Have Been Too Insensitive to Poverty
Rich nations are shamefully stingy about aiding the poor, but none more so than the United States. In 1999, the World Bank reported that the United States gave 0.1 percent of its economic output for development, or $9.1 billion, the lowest proportion among the 30 or so wealthiest nations. Japan gave more than $15 billion — still skimpy, but 0.35 percent of its output. Moreover, America stipulates that about two-thirds of the $9 billion must be spent on American products.
http://www.nytimes.com/2001/11/01/business/01SCEN.html
Rich nations are shamefully stingy about aiding the poor, but none more so than the United States. In 1999, the World Bank reported that the United States gave 0.1 percent of its economic output for development, or $9.1 billion, the lowest proportion among the 30 or so wealthiest nations. Japan gave more than $15 billion — still skimpy, but 0.35 percent of its output. Moreover, America stipulates that about two-thirds of the $9 billion must be spent on American products.
http://www.nytimes.com/2001/11/01/business/01SCEN.html
Sunday, October 28, 2001
Chicago Tribune | A Soviet general and nation building
Consider Gen. Ruslan Aushev, the most distinguished Soviet war hero in Afghanistan and a Muslim from Russia's North Caucasus. In his native republic of Ingushetia, Aushev has fought and defeated Al Qaeda. More importantly, he won peace without the dirty methods professionals of espionage portray as necessary evils.
Ingushetia, one of the ethnic republics within the Russian Federation, is a tiny mountainous place along the frontier of the rebellious Chechnya. In contrast to Chechnya, Ingushetia remains in obscurity because only wars in distant lands make global headlines.
In Ingushetia, peace is the lesson.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/perspective/chi-0110280314oct28.story?coll=chi%2Dnewsopinionperspective%2Dhed
Consider Gen. Ruslan Aushev, the most distinguished Soviet war hero in Afghanistan and a Muslim from Russia's North Caucasus. In his native republic of Ingushetia, Aushev has fought and defeated Al Qaeda. More importantly, he won peace without the dirty methods professionals of espionage portray as necessary evils.
Ingushetia, one of the ethnic republics within the Russian Federation, is a tiny mountainous place along the frontier of the rebellious Chechnya. In contrast to Chechnya, Ingushetia remains in obscurity because only wars in distant lands make global headlines.
In Ingushetia, peace is the lesson.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/perspective/chi-0110280314oct28.story?coll=chi%2Dnewsopinionperspective%2Dhed
U.S. Appears to Be Losing Public Relations War So Far
The Bush administration has belatedly deployed its forces for a propaganda war to win over the Arab public. But the campaign, intended to convince doubters that the American attacks on Afghanistan are justified and its Middle East policy is evenhanded, has so far proved ineffectual.
Thousands of words from American officials, it appears, have proved no match for the last week's news, which produced a barrage of pictures of wounded Afghan children and of Israeli tanks rolling into Palestinian villages.
http://www.nytimes.com/2001/10/28/international/middleeast/28PROM.html
The Bush administration has belatedly deployed its forces for a propaganda war to win over the Arab public. But the campaign, intended to convince doubters that the American attacks on Afghanistan are justified and its Middle East policy is evenhanded, has so far proved ineffectual.
Thousands of words from American officials, it appears, have proved no match for the last week's news, which produced a barrage of pictures of wounded Afghan children and of Israeli tanks rolling into Palestinian villages.
http://www.nytimes.com/2001/10/28/international/middleeast/28PROM.html
Efforts to Calm the Nation's Fears Spin Out of Control
People in the grip of fear want information that holds up, not spin control.
Again and again in recent weeks, administration officials tried to reassure the public; again and again, the situation proved more serious than the officials had suggested. As a result, public trust has evaporated.
While the number of people known to be affected by the disease is still relatively small, and the number of deaths smaller still, the admission that the type of anthrax used was so deadly and so highly refined that it could infect postal workers and contaminate the mail amplified the sense of a situation that was careening out of control.
http://www.nytimes.com/2001/10/28/weekinreview/28SCHW.html
People in the grip of fear want information that holds up, not spin control.
Again and again in recent weeks, administration officials tried to reassure the public; again and again, the situation proved more serious than the officials had suggested. As a result, public trust has evaporated.
While the number of people known to be affected by the disease is still relatively small, and the number of deaths smaller still, the admission that the type of anthrax used was so deadly and so highly refined that it could infect postal workers and contaminate the mail amplified the sense of a situation that was careening out of control.
http://www.nytimes.com/2001/10/28/weekinreview/28SCHW.html
Developing Warning System for Biological Attack Proves Difficult
The military has spent hundreds of millions of dollars to develop detectors. The truck-based system stationed at the Pentagon can identify four biological agents in less than 45 minutes, according to the latest annual report from the Pentagon to Congress on the status of chemical and biological defenses. Some air bases use a network of these sensors and compare their readings, to cut down on false warnings.
Another system tries to use light to detect aerosol clouds from miles away, but it cannot tell whether the clouds contain pathogens.
The Pentagon's inspector general last year criticized development of a new, more advanced system known as the Joint Biological Point Detection System for achieving only one of 10 critical goals. It broke down often, failed to identify lethal pathogens and sometimes gave false warnings when no danger existed.
http://www.nytimes.com/2001/10/28/national/28DETE.html?todaysheadlines&pagewanted=all
The military has spent hundreds of millions of dollars to develop detectors. The truck-based system stationed at the Pentagon can identify four biological agents in less than 45 minutes, according to the latest annual report from the Pentagon to Congress on the status of chemical and biological defenses. Some air bases use a network of these sensors and compare their readings, to cut down on false warnings.
Another system tries to use light to detect aerosol clouds from miles away, but it cannot tell whether the clouds contain pathogens.
The Pentagon's inspector general last year criticized development of a new, more advanced system known as the Joint Biological Point Detection System for achieving only one of 10 critical goals. It broke down often, failed to identify lethal pathogens and sometimes gave false warnings when no danger existed.
http://www.nytimes.com/2001/10/28/national/28DETE.html?todaysheadlines&pagewanted=all
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