"We're going to leave for the next administration a pretty well-managed organization," said Secretary Michael Chertoff. The Homeland Security boss, meeting with reporters this morning, spelled out several security nightmares that the department has fixed following the 9/11 terrorist attacks that led to its creation five years ago.

For example, he said that every ship container box that comes into the United States is checked for radiation. He also said that terrorist financing had been squeezed and that scrutiny of travelers in and out of the country had been tightened. Chertoff said that he had taken a special interest in tracking small aircraft and boats coming to U.S. shores and suggested that such aircraft would be the easiest way for terrorists to deliver a nuclear attack on the United States.

Wow, that and the bullshit TSA "controls", might be just the thing that makes me sleep better at night...

Couldn't the same weapon be brought over the Mexican or Canadian border on foot or in a Tunnel? Please... these measures are just another self-fulfilling prophecy to keep the DHS in "power" and spreading more fear to try to control the American People.

Homeland Security Cites Successes - News Desk (usnews.com)

A kindergarten student with a freshly spiked Mohawk has been suspended from school.

Michelle Barile, the mother of 6-year-old Bryan Ruda, said nothing in the Parma Community School handbook prohibits the haircut, characterized by closely shaved sides with a strip of prominent hair on top. The school said the hair was a distraction for other students.

Wow, now that's taking things to the extreme...

Mohawk gets Ohio child cut off from kindergarten | ajc.com

Federal authorities think that nearly $50 million was stolen in an embezzlement scheme run out of the D.C. tax office, more than double the amount they had previously uncovered, four sources close to the investigation said.

Now I know why Neoteric moved to DC... it's all about the embezzemens...

Tab in Scam At Tax Office In D.C. Nears $50 Million - washingtonpost.com

Excellence Playa Mujeres is an adults-only romantic resort nestled on two miles of powdery white sand beach, in a resort community that boasts an inland marina, world-class spa, and a spectacular Greg Norman signature golf course right on the Caribbean. This all inclusive jewel of Cancun offers spacious rooms and suites furnished in elegant contemporary decor and outfitted with the latest amenities. Here, everything is taken care of and nothing is left out. So you are free to create those moments you dream of…
and memories you’ll have forever.

If you are truly looking for an amazing location for a getaway, please take a look at this property. I can only say that I hope to return next year, as this is a truly soul relaxing experience.

Excellence Playa Mujeres Resort and Spa

Deregulation of telecommunications has been nothing less than an unmitigated disaster for U.S. businesses. If the broadband mess isn’t hurting your business today, it soon will be. It’s time to do something about it.

This is a great article, and an idiotic comment from Scott Cleland of "precursorblog.com", an apparent puppet of the Cable and Telco vendors.

What do you think?

Opinion: Keeping a lid on broadband

Forty years after France's sale of "peaceful" nuclear technology to Saddam Hussein, the atomic twinkle in the Élysée's eyes is again on the Middle East. France has offered civilian nuclear cooperation to Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Tunisia, Jordan and Morocco.

More french stupidity at work, while chasing money in the middle east. When will everyone simply understand how difficult it is to determine how much uranium is enriched and stored once a nuclear plant goes on-line?

Nuclear power is dangerous, not from it's ability to create electricity, but the underlying ability to create devastation to one's neighbors, and destroy the global environment. Every country's nuclear power programs need to be closely monitored, to prevent any covert weaponization.

I think that the key to providing developing countries with nuclear power needs to be accomplished with a method of openness. There also needs to be real punishment for those who do not keep their nuclear program open, and/or are found to be enriching uranium for other purposes.

Atomic - WSJ.com

The puzzle is how AT&T thinks that its proposal is anything other than corporate seppuku.

Scary article, really important stuff, but I LOVE the line above... :)

Why does AT&T want to know what you're downloading? - By Tim Wu - Slate Magazine

Cars that drive themselves — even parking at their destination — could be ready for sale within a decade

Ok, this would be cool and all, but how about a car that doesn't run on fossil fuels first?

Just because we CAN do a thing, doesn't mean that we SHOULD do a thing...

I can just imagine it... "Auto driving cars hacked, 312 car pileup on I-285 in Atlanta, 42 dead, 176 injured, and over 200 cars destroyed. The Terrorist group New-Al-Qaeda has taken credit for the attack."

The Associated Press: GM Researching Driverless Cars

ANTANANARIVO, Madagascar - A self-destructing palm tree that flowers once every 100 years and then dies has been discovered on the Indian Ocean island of Madagascar, botanists said Thursday.null

Proof that we still don't know everything! This is cool...

New tree species found in Madagascar - Yahoo! News

`You Will Explode'

Separately, another U.S. defense official said one of the Iranian vessels came within 200 yards (183 meters) of the U.S. ships.

``I am coming at you; you will explode in a couple of minutes,'' the Iranians told the U.S. naval crews, according to the defense official. The U.S. ships were ready to fire when the Iranians turned away, he said.

Yeah, Iran isn't a threat... really, they're just "bluffing" in a game of WWIII.

Stupid, stupid, stupid. Someone is going to push a button, and many people are going to die. This is the stuff they write fiction novels about. Read the article and get the idea of how often this "type" of action happens.

Iranian ships try to provoke US Navy in the Straight of Hormuz -- Bloomberg.com: Worldwide