Diebold quietly repaired voting machines
• APDiebold Election Systems quietly replaced flawed components in several thousand Maryland voting machines in 2005 to fix a "screen-freeze" problem the company had discovered three years earlier.
Page Two
Confession that formed base of Iraq war was acquired under torture: journalist
• AFPAn Al-Qaeda terror suspect captured by the United States, who gave evidence of links between Iraq and the terror network, confessed after being tortured, a journalist told the BBC.
U.S. revives terror data mining
• Washington TimesThe U.S. intelligence czar is developing a computer system capable of mining huge amounts of information about everyday events for patterns that look like terrorist planning -- reminiscent of the discontinued Total Information Awareness program.
Bush’s ‘Fence Bill’ Doesn’t Actually Create Fence
• ThinkProgressNo sooner did Congress authorize construction of a 700-mile fence on the U.S.-Mexico border last week than lawmakers rushed to approve separate legislation that ensures it will never be built, at least not as advertised, according to Republican lawma
Rep. Kolbe always liked a lot of hands on with the pages
• ABC blogA source close to former House Clerk Jeff Trandahl said Jim Kolbe (R-AZ) was one of a number of "problem members" of Congress who spent too much time socializing with pages, taking them to dinner or sporting events outside of official dutie
Supreme Court strikes down conviction of pot activist
• CBCThe Supreme Court of Canada has overturned the conviction of a medical marijuana crusader, ruling the trial judge erred by directing the jury to find the man guilty.
Iraqis Were Better Off Under Saddam, Says Hans Blix
• Common DreamsFormer UN chief weapons inspector Hans Blix on Wednesday described the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq as a "pure failure" that had left the country worse off than under the dictatorial rule of Saddam Hussein.
I.R.S. Going Slow Before Election
• NY TimesThe commissioner of internal revenue has ordered his agency to delay collecting back taxes from Hurricane Katrina victims until after the Nov. 7 elections and the holiday season, saying he did so in part to avoid negative publicity.
Ancient brothel restored in Pompeii
• APIt was the jewel of Pompeii's libertines: a brothel decorated with frescoes of erotic figures believed to be the most popular in the ancient Roman city.
New Chip-Cooling Technology
• PC WorldIBM researchers have found a way to draw twice as much heat off of hard-working computer chips, clearing the way for server farms and data centers to use denser, faster processors.
US imposes biometric entry demand
• BBCA deadline for states with visa waiver agreements with the US to start issuing a new generation of biometric passports to meet US demands has passed.
Wow! Striking Green Comet Suddenly Visible in Evening Sky
• Space.comWhat had been a modest comet seen only with binoculars or telescopes flared up this week to become visible to the naked eye. Comet Swan, as it is called, is in the western sky after sunset from the Northern Hemisphere. It remains faint, likely not ea
Harnessing Asteroids and Comets to Travel the Solar System
• Space.comNASA is funding a study to see if it might be possible to use asteroids traveling between the orbits of Earth and Mars to shelter spacecraft from radiation. The brainchild of Daniella Della-Giustina, engineering physics undergrad from the U of Arizon
Uranus has a dark spot
• Space.comImages of Uranus reveal for the first time a dark spot in the planet’s northern hemisphere. During the past decade, many bright spots have been seen on Uranus, in both red and near-infrared filters. But this is the first dark spot ever seen on the pl
Tribe police chief, officer linked to missing funds
• azcentral.comThe White Mountain Apache Tribe's police chief and one of his officers were arrested Tuesday in connection with the disappearance of cash from a fund used to make drug buys and pay informants, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.
Policy limits pool for top cop in Tempe
• East Valley TribuneThe list of candidates for Tempe’s top cop couldn’t be any shorter — there’s just one person on it. That choice was somewhat deliberate because the city blocked cops from outside its police force from applying.
Co-founder of iRobot was told 'that's too science-fiction'
• USA TodayWhen Helen Greiner saw Star Wars as a child, she was captivated by the 1977 film's legendary robot, R2D2, but disillusioned to learn the droid was actually animated by a tiny man inside.
Two Wings of One Bird of Prey
• The Dreyfuss ReportAn article in Mother Jones co-authored by me and Jason Vest, called "The Lie Factory," is being cited by the Republicans in a race involving Chris Carney, the Democrat, who reportedly served in the forerunner to the Pentagon's Office of
Online Gamblers call US Bluff
• WiredGamblers may look over their shoulder now, but experts say a new internet gambling ban won't keep bettors from ponying up, just turn them on to overseas payment services out of the law's reach. "It has put a terrible scare into people,*
Wash. landowners to help pygmy rabbits
• APOn a sprawling central Washington wheat farm, state and federal officials signed a landmark agreement to create a "safe harbor" for reintroduction of the tiny Columbia Basin pygmy rabbit, whose impending return has raised concerns among are
Israeli warplanes in "incident" with German ship
• AFPTwo Israeli warplanes were involved in an armed incident with German ship patrolling Lebanon's waters as part of the UN force in the Arab country, the German military told AFP. A spokesman for the command fo the German mission in Lebanon
Truth behind America's Digital Decline
• Government Tech(One wonders how much of this is due to the FCC) With every passing month, the US falls further behind the global leaders in broadband Internet access thanks to a combination of market and policy failures. Our markets lack the competition
China takes heat after murder of Tibetan teenage girl
• Christian Science MonitorSeventeen days later, Kelsang lay dying in the snow after an attack, captured by Western tourists' cameras, that is becoming an international incident and a stain on China's human rights record.
A Tale of Two Web Browsers
• WiredIn the last 2 years, the web has gone through a truly vibrant period of innovation. We've seen advancements in file sharing, social networks and rich media presentation, as well as the proliferation of Ajax and full-fledged applicatioins that ru
CIA tried to silence EU over torture protests
• GuardianThe CIA tried to persuade Germany to silence EU protests about the human rights record of one of America's key allies in its clandestine torture flights programme, the Guardian can reveal. According the a secret intelligence report, the CIA offe
Home prices plunge by most in 35 years
• APIs this what a housing bust looks like? New home prices fell last month by the largest amount in 35 years and owners are being warned to brace for further declines, especially in formerly hot markets.
Aussies pulling out of Iraq
• Sydney Morning HeraldAustralian troops are set to start pulling out of Iraq within 12 to 18 months, Australia's top officer in the Middle East has said. Brigadier Mick Moon, commander of Australian forces in the Middle East, told the Herald yesterday the situation
HK scientists identify cancer-blocking protein
• ReutersResearchers at the University of Hong Kong found that human prostate cancer cells produce a protein called sPDZD2. When the protein was blocked in laboratory mice, prostate cancer cells in the rodents grew more quickly, and vice versa.
Mexican footprints may be among oldest in Americas
• ReutersThe 13 footprints found in Cuatro Cienegas in the northern state of Coahuila are fossilized in stone less than an inch deep. "We believe they could be between 10,000 and 15,000 years old," said archeologist
Ancient Horse Corral Unearthed in Kazakhstan
• LiveScience.comThe remnants of what could be an ancient corral for keeping horses have been unearthed in northern Kazakhstan. The finding suggests the Botai culture living in the region 5,600 years ago didn't just hunt the creatures for meat, but were domestica
Watch Streaming Broadcast Live:
