Noteworthy News

[First]  [Previous] |    2208     2209     2210     2211     2212     2213     2214     2215     2216     2217    | [Next]  [Last] of 2223 page(s)

Veterans Affairs spurs smart-card growth

Gov Exec

by Drew Clark

December 24, 2004

The slow-moving effort to roll out a governmentwide "smart card" that can be used to promote physical and cybersecurity could gain speed with the Veterans Affairs Department smart card for employees.

Dubbed OneVA, the photo-identification card doubles as a computer-access card for employees to use when connecting to the department's system.

Making Sense of Specs

The New York Times - [Free Subscription Required]

by Sean Captain

December 23, 2004

Whether it involves a big-screen TV's resolution, a digital camera's megapixels, a computer's gigahertz or a stereo's wattage, shoppers face not only the challenge of understanding new technology concepts, but also the task of figuring out which numbers o

What's an electronics shopper to do' In many cases, product specifications may mean something different from what they appear to, or they may mean nothing at all.

Christmas Past and Presents

The New York Times - [Free Subscription Required]

by William B. Waits

December 23, 2004

The celebration of Christmas, and the culture of gift giving that accompanies the holiday, have changed significantly in America over the years.

Although the Christmas celebration existed in America from the settlers' earliest times, the holiday remained small in scale until the 19th century, when it began to play a larger role in national culture, building on the work of Moore, Nast, Irving and others. It achieved its much larger and truly modern scale only after the transformation of the holiday between 1880 and 1910.

Sex scandal in Congo threatens to engulf UN's peacekeepers

Times Online (UK)

by Jonathan Clayton and James Bone

December 23, 2004

They should be rebuilding the country, but foreign workers face serious accusations. Homemade pornographic videos shot by a United Nations logistics expert in the Democratic Republic of Congo have sparked a sex scandal.

The expert was a Frenchman who worked at Goma airport as part of the UNâ€â"¢s $700 million-a-year effort to rebuild the war-shattered country. When police raided his home they discovered that he had turned his bedroom into a studio for videotaping and photographing sex sessions with young girls.

Bush White House's Christ-less Christmas

World Net Daily

December 21, 2004

WASHINGTON - What's virtually missing from the White House commemoration of Christmas this year? -- Jesus.

The little baby in the manger. The reason for the season. While President Bush was re-elected last month in an election victory many attributed to an outpouring of support by evangelical Christians impressed with his candid outspokenness about his faith, some Americans notice the White House website lacks even a single mention of Jesus, whose birth is celebrated by hundreds of millions worldwide Dec. 25.

GAO Again Finds Fault With the Federal Books

The Washington Post

by Christopher Lee

December 21, 2004

Auditors Say That Government's Records Are So Inadequate They Cannot Be Evaluated, but Bush Official Cites Progress

The U.S. government's financial record-keeping is so inadequate that congressional auditors said last week that they could not determine whether the federal books meet generally accepted accounting principles.

Sensible Oversight for DNA Evidence

Red Nova News

December 20, 2004

A proposed revamp of the Virginia Division of Forensic Science, to be unveiled today by the State Crime Commission, reflects mounting calls for more independent scrutiny of the nations crime labs.

The Virginia lab, like many, is largely self-regulated. Too few judges, lawyers, and juries understand the science behind the use of DNA testing as a crime-fighting tool. Too many mistakenly regard it as unassailable and infallible.

Outsourcing Detention

Find Law Legal Commentary

by Joanne Mariner

December 20, 2004

Ahmed Abu Ali, a twenty-three-year-old Northern Virginia man, is being held without charges in Saudi Arabia. Arrested in June 2003, he has spent eighteen months in custody but has yet to see a lawyer.

Omar Abu Ali, Ahmed's father, says that after his son was arrested in Saudi Arabia, he and his wife turned to the U.S. State Department for help. Publicly, the State Department proclaims that one of its "most essential tasks" is to provide assistance to U.S. citizens incarcerated abroad.

Atheists To Protest Nativity Display In Milford

NBC 30 (CT)

December 19, 2004

A group of atheists is planning a protest near a Nativity scene on public property in Milford.

Milford officials said that they haven't put up a Nativity scene in the Parsons Government Center, ending a holiday tradition going back several years. However, there is a larger creche set up on the Milford Green that is owned and maintained by a local family.

The Myth of Drug Safety

Reliable Answers.com

by Annette M. Hall

December 18, 2004

For those who suffer daily the debilitating effects of chronic pain, finding a safe choice within the medical community remains a myth.

Don't bother to look toward the FDA or the US government for protection. The pharmaceutical industry provides major funding to political candidates each year, buying the silence of those with the power to effect consumer safety and rein in the FDA.

[First]  [Previous] |    2208     2209     2210     2211     2212     2213     2214     2215     2216     2217    | [Next]  [Last] of 2223 page(s)