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| compos mentis. Concision. Media. Clarity. Memes. Context. Melange. Confluence. Mishmash. Conflation. Mellifluous. Conviviality. Miscellany. Confelicity. Milieu. Cogent. Minty. Concoction. |
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Banned Arms Flowed Into Iraq Through Syrian Firm |
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| Topic: International Relations |
4:16 pm EST, Jan 1, 2004 |
Files found in Baghdad describe deals violating UN sanctions and offer a glimpse into the murky world of weapons smuggling and the ties between 'rogue states.' ... Lee Dae Young, the chairman of Armitel, a 1998 spinoff from Samsung, said: "We sold Iraq an optical cable system. Actually, now that this is over, I can tell you. We sold it to Syrians and they took it to Iraq." This article is the first of a two-part series entitled "The Weapons Files" that is the product of an extensive review of documents seized in Iraq. Banned Arms Flowed Into Iraq Through Syrian Firm |
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| Topic: History |
1:52 pm EST, Jan 1, 2004 |
Countless books and movies have displayed the seedier elements of the spy trade ... yet the analytical, brainy side of the profession has always been of equal importance. Attempting to distinguish "signal" from "noise", officials at the CIA and Defense Department debate competing methods of data-sifting. "The past is a forest of signs. The problem was that you could only read them when you turned around and looked back, unfortunately." School for spies |
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With Friends Like These ... |
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| Topic: International Relations |
1:29 pm EST, Jan 1, 2004 |
To judge by Libya's promise to give up its weapons of mass destruction, President Bush's get-tough approach in Iraq and Afghanistan has impressed our enemies. But what about our ostensible allies? ... Both Musharraf and Abdullah need the US at least as much as we need them. Neither one can stay in power -- or, most likely, stay alive -- if the radical Islamists prevail. In the long term, we do them no favors by allowing them to coddle our mutual enemies. Max Boot writes in the New Years Day edition of the Los Angeles Times. With Friends Like These ... |
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| Topic: Current Events |
12:48 pm EST, Jan 1, 2004 |
The twin task of stock-taking and resolution-making is a worthy discipline -- and not just for individuals. We resolve to expand freedom.
We resolve to promote prosperity.
We are resolved for peace. Freedom, prosperity and peace are not separate principles, or separable policy goals. Each reinforces the other, so serving any one requires an integrated policy that serves all three. The challenges are many, for the world is full of trouble. But it is also full of opportunities, and we are resolved to seize every one of them. Colin Powell has published this op-ed in the New Years Day edition of the New York Times. What We Will Do in 2004 |
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The Fabric of the Cosmos : Space, Time, and the Texture of Reality |
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| Topic: Science |
12:40 pm EST, Jan 1, 2004 |
From Brian Greene, one of the world's leading physicists, comes a grand tour of the universe that makes us look at reality in a completely different way. Space and time form the very fabric of the cosmos. Yet they remain among the most mysterious of concepts. Is space an entity? Why does time have a direction? Could the universe exist without space and time? Can we travel to the past? Brian Greene's new book goes on sale February 10. The Fabric of the Cosmos : Space, Time, and the Texture of Reality |
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The Time We Thought We Knew |
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| Topic: Science |
12:37 pm EST, Jan 1, 2004 |
Time dominates experience. We live by watch and calendar. We eagerly trade megahertz for gigahertz. We spend billions of dollars to conceal time's bodily influences. We uproariously celebrate particular moments in time even as we quietly despair of its passage. But what is time? Brian Greene, author of The Elegant Universe, has written an op-ed for the New Years Day edition of the New York Times. The Time We Thought We Knew |
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The Existential Pleasures of Engineering |
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| Topic: Technology |
11:26 am EST, Dec 31, 2003 |
In a world where engineering plays an increasingly important role, one wonders about the exact nature of the engineering experience in our time. In this book, Samuel C. Florman expertly and perceptively explores how engineers think and feel about their profession, dispelling the myth that engineering is cold and passionless, and celebrating it as something vital and alive. The Existential Pleasures of Engineering |
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Saddam Hussein: More Secret History |
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| Topic: International Relations |
11:00 am EST, Dec 31, 2003 |
These documents provide further fascinating details about the secret history of US-Iraqi relations from the late 1960s, when Hussein emerged as the real power in Iraq, to the 1970s, when Henry Kissinger began probing Baghdad about a warming of relations, to the 1980s, when the US government and private businesses forged ahead with improved ties despite widespread proof of Iraq's repeated violations of international law through its use of chemical weapons. Saddam Hussein: More Secret History |
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Inspector General Audit of Terrorism Information Awareness Program |
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| Topic: Military Technology |
10:45 am EST, Dec 31, 2003 |
Anyone interested in using sophisticated information technology that collects, stores, and analyzes information should read this report. A review showed that DARPA could have better addressed the sensitivity of the technology. DoD should appoint a Privacy Ombudsman. The Director, Defense Research and Engineering, concurred. You can download the full text of the report in PDF. Appendix D provides a brief description of each of the TIA subsystems, including FutureMAP, the futures market that was canceled by DARPA but subsequently resumed by a private firm. The privately run market is scheduled to open in 2004. Inspector General Audit of Terrorism Information Awareness Program |
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6 Companies Get US Telecom Contracts |
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| Topic: Telecom Industry |
9:59 am EST, Dec 31, 2003 |
Six companies (Ciena, Sprint, Sycamore, Juniper, Qwest, Cisco) were awarded four contracts worth at least $400 million by the United States government to build a global network with optical and data networking gear. Analysts have said that the four contracts combined could generate almost $1 billion in the initial two years. 6 Companies Get US Telecom Contracts |
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