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The New York Times > Washington > Bush Was Warned of Possible Attack in U.S., Official Says

The New York Times > Washington > Bush Was Warned of Possible Attack in U.S., Official Says

NYTimes.com > Washington

Bush Was Warned of Possible Attack in U.S., Official Says
By ERIC LICHTBLAU and DAVID E. SANGER
Published: April 10, 2004

WASHINGTON, April 9 — President Bush was told more than a month before the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, that supporters of Osama bin Laden planned an attack within the United States with explosives and wanted to hijack airplanes, a government official said Friday.

The warning came in a secret briefing that Mr. Bush received at his ranch in Crawford, Tex., on Aug. 6, 2001. A report by a joint Congressional committee last year alluded to a "closely held intelligence report" that month about the threat of an attack by Al Qaeda, and the official confirmed an account by The Associated Press on Friday saying that the report was in fact part of the president's briefing in Crawford.

Once this briefing memo is declassified, we'll know more.. for now, this is pretty serious evidence to me that we missed a chance to stop 9/11, at the highest level...

Can you legally copy DVDs? - CNET reviews

Can you legally copy DVDs? - CNET reviews

SOFTWARE
Can you legally copy DVDs?

DVD copying is a controversial and highly sought-after process. Not sure if what you're doing is legal? CNET sets your mind at ease.
By Jon Jacobi, Don Labriola, and Justin Jaffe (April 6, 2004)

Up until February 2004, 321 Studios' hugely popular line of DVD-copying products, including DVD X Copy, DVD X Copy Xpress, and DVD Copy Plus, gave consumers the power to make backup copies of DVDs--even those with copy protection. But when a San Francisco federal judge ruled that 321 Studios' products were illegal because they circumvented commercial DVDs' antipiracy technology--not because it's illegal to make copies, mind you--the party was over. Since then, 321 Studios has released new, ripper-free versions of its line of DVD copying apps, but these programs are considerably less potent and cannot copy commercial DVDs.

Good overview, though brief, of this very mixed-bag area of the law and software (technology) right now...

The Society for Philosophical Inquiry

The Society for Philosophical Inquiry

The Society for Philosophical Inquiry (SPI) is a grassroots nonprofit organization devoted to supporting philosophical inquirers of all ages and walks of life. Its members strive to form and facilitate "communities of philosophical inquiry", which meet in groups typically called Socrates Cafes(tm). These meetings take place at coffee houses, libraries, hospices, senior centers, nursing homes, prisons, plazas and other public spaces, bookstores, homeless shelters and community centers; and at schools, where we often call our gatherings Philosophers' Clubs or Socrates Cafes. We at SPI are devoted to spreading a version of Socratic inquiry that enables each of us, within a group setting, to become more autonomous thinkers and doers and more expert questioners and listeners. Our fundamental desire is to encourage and support people who are curious and perplexed and filled with a sense of wonder, so they can dialogue for discovery and dialogue for democracy. And we are here for those who would subscribe to the Socratic ethos that the examined life truly makes for a richer existence.

Thanks, and a tip of the beret to Marylaine Block's Neat New Stuff I Found This Week.. great idea, hope it flourishes.. often wanted to resurrect the notion of the "salon," from the heyday of the European ex-patriates, and some of that in America, too.. where people gather in homes, routinely and with desire, to talk and discuss ideas, current events, books, films, music, and so on...

PC Magazine: Top 100 Web Sites

PC Magazine: Top 100 Web Sites

Top 100 Web Sites - April 2004

You'll wonder how you ever got along without these little-known gems. We've also updated our Top 100 Classics.

Online Extra: Conveniently download all the links; expanded test results.

Interesting, as always, to see the PC Magazine Top 100 sites' list each year.. the Top 100 Classics will usually have some of your big favorites on it...

Urban Tactics: Wonderful Towns

Urban Tactics: Wonderful Towns

NYTimes.com > New York Region

URBAN TACTICS
Wonderful Towns
By SETH KUGEL, Published: April 4, 2004

DON'T get them wrong, tourists: Jeffrey Saunders, Eric Jacobs, Luke Adams and Hector Santana are not shooing you away from the Statue of Liberty or the Guggenheim.

But they'd love it if you'd drop by Jackson Heights in Queens to tour America's first garden city. Or Corona to see Louis Armstrong's house. Or Sunnyside for shepherd's pie and a view of the Manhattan skyline.

Poynter Online - E-Media Tidbits: More of the GMail Debate

Poynter Online - E-Media Tidbits: More of the GMail Debate

Wednesday, April 7, 2004
Posted by Steve Outing 1:34:23 PM

More of the GMail Debate

...

Google should take these concerns seriously and write a terms of service that satisfies privacy advocates. But I don't think the whole concept of an e-mail service supported by contextual advertising and involving automated scanning of mail should be thrown out. [my emphasis] There are too many other online services that we already rely on where there's a similar, minuscule privacy risk. (Thanks to Gary Price for pointing out the group's letter. And the usual disclaimer: This is my own view and probably does not reflect that of my fellow E-Media Tidbits writers or the Poynter Institute, publisher of this weblog.)

I happen to agree with you, Steve, and others raising the matter, like many voices debating this all over --including my fellow librarians.. but, I hope to post a longer piece on this over the weekend...

Yahoo! News - April Fools' Editions Sink College Papers

Yahoo! News - April Fools' Editions Sink College Papers

U.S. National - AP
April Fools' Editions Sink College Papers
Wed Apr 7, 1:49 PM ET
By DAN NEPHIN, Associated Press Writer

PITTSBURGH - Being funny without being offensive is tough to do, which is why three college newspapers that published April Fools' Day editions — those at Carnegie Mellon University, the University of Scranton and the University of Nebraska at Omaha — are in trouble.

Carnegie Mellon's paper, The Tartan, voluntarily shut down for the rest of the semester after publishing a racially charged cartoon in its 12-page spoof edition. The cartoonist lost his job, and the editor in chief — who blamed fatigue for clouding editors' judgment — is taking a leave of absence from the Pittsburgh university until fall.

University of Scranton officials in Pennsylvania closed The Aquinas for parodying Mel Gibson's "The Passion of the Christ," college administrators and Georgetown University, a fellow Jesuit institution.

The Gateway, the Nebraska paper, apologized for its four-page edition titled The Ghettoway. One story, with the headline "Gateway cameras stolen during weekend," was written by Ono Udidn. Another fake byline: Mindjo Bidness. The news editor, who is black, told The Gateway for a story Tuesday that she thought the content was representative of pop culture in general.

This one brings back some memories.. when editor of my college paper, The Carolina Journal, c. 1970s, I put out a pretty wild and crazy April Fool's edition, intended for the students to take to the beach and on Spring Break, and have some laughs.. unfortunately, some took it "home," and parents didn't like the sexual and political "humor," from my early "Dennis Miller" period.. I even got a slam-bast editorial against me on the local TV station; which I went on the air to rebutt; oh wish I had a copy of that videotape today.. anyway, I was duely bashed and smacked around, but no serious damage done.. in my defense, I claimed satire was an honorable enterprise, and pointed to the greats of the past.. it helped a bit.. one of my headlines that will live on in infamy was "Name_here hangs self," and in the article, I described hanging a portrait of me in a bathroom stall, to commemorate something or other (the college was doing this all the time then)...

NBCSandiego.com - News - More San Diegans Left Last Year Than Moved To County

NBCSandiego.com - News - More San Diegans Left Last Year Than Moved To County

More San Diegans Left Last Year Than Moved To County
New Births, Immigration Drive Region's Population Growth
POSTED: 1:25 pm PDT April 9, 2004

SAN DIEGO -- Population-growth figures for San Diego County were released on Thursday, and there were some surprising developments during the last year. For example, the figures show that 15,000 more people left San Diego County than moved here from elsewhere in the United States.

Growth in the San Diego area is being driven by new births and foreign immigration, as movement to the county from elsewhere in the United States declined, according to figures released by the Census Bureau.

Over the past year, about 18,300 more immigrants settled in San Diego than moved away. However, the single biggest factor for growth was "natural increase," or births minus deaths, amounting to more than 23,000.

The figures also show that 15,000 more people left San Diego County than moved here from elsewhere in the United States.

Another demographic item, this time from San Diego.. people are leaving because of the high cost of living, among other factors...

MyrtleBeachOnline.com: State counties amid fastest growing in U.S.

MyrtleBeachOnline.com: The guide to news, golf, jobs, homes, cars

Posted on Fri, Apr. 09, 2004
North Carolina
STATE NEWS IN BRIEF, RALEIGH

State counties amid fastest growing in U.S.

Five N.C. counties are among the 100 fastest growing in the nation, the Census Bureau reported Thursday.

The growth from 2000-03 reflects a national trend in which high growth is occurring in counties that ring metropolitan areas.

Union County, which borders Charlotte and Mecklenburg County, led North Carolina with a 17.9 percent increase, adding 22,214 people. The county's population was 145,986 as of July 2003.

State demographer William Tillman Jr. said the growth is fueled by people moving from Mecklenburg County for more open space. Also, highway improvements in the area have made commuting more feasible, he said.

From the old home state, growth continues...

The Chronicle of Higher Education: Google Teams Up With 17 Colleges to Test Searches of Scholarly Materials

The Chronicle of Higher Education: Google Teams Up With 17 Colleges to Test Searches of Scholarly Materials

Friday, April 9, 2004

Google Teams Up With 17 Colleges to Test Searches of Scholarly Materials
By JEFFREY R. YOUNG

Google, the popular search-engine company, has teamed up with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and 16 other universities around the world to provide a way to search the institutions' collections of scholarly papers, according to university officials.

Free, nice article from Chronicle of Higher Education.. about indexing scholarly content with the Google technology.. thanks to EduPage for the link and alert...

Mercury News | 04/09/2004 | Men, women try friendship sans sex

Mercury News | 04/09/2004 | Men, women try friendship sans sex

Posted on Fri, Apr. 09, 2004

Men, women try friendship sans sex
PLATONIC BUDDIES GIVE LIE TO ASSUMPTION FOUND THROUGHOUT POP CULTURE

By Mark de la Viña, Mercury News

Popular culture is no friend to close platonic relationships between straight men and women.

From a celebrated Chris Rock comedy bit to the movie ``When Harry Met Sally,'' the idea of men and women as good pals, sans sex, is seen as impossible if not abnormal.

In his special ``Bring the Pain,'' Rock cracks that men rarely become friends with women they wouldn't sleep with if the opportunity presented itself.

The major issue in ``When Harry Met Sally'' arises when Harry (Billy Crystal) says to gal pal Sally (Meg Ryan) that ``men and women can't be friends because the sex part always gets in the way.''

But life doesn't have to imitate art.

Finding love in all the right places

Finding love in all the right places

Finding love in all the right places
April 9, 2004, BY ANDREW HERRMANN Staff Reporter

Alice Dodd is 65 and in love with her new boyfriend.

"I don't feel giddy and silly. I'm not 16,'' says Dodd, a retired actress. "But I do light up when he comes in the door. I feel peaceful and happy and very, very fortunate.''

Once, people of Dodd's age were likely to be living out their golden years with longtime spouses. But higher divorce rates have created a new, grayer singles frontier. Not all sixtysomethings are out looking, but a survey by the AARP found that about half have dated in the last three years.

Good article on love for those in their 60s, and a nice sidebar article on physical and other changes experienced in your 60s...

SignOnSanDiego.com > San Diego Padres -- Historic night capped off by extra-inning win

SignOnSanDiego.com > San Diego Padres -- Historic night capped off by extra-inning win

Historic night capped off by extra-inning win
By Jeff McDonald and Jonathan Heller, STAFF WRITERS, April 9, 2004

The warm-ups were welcome – college games last month, an exhibition series this past weekend – but ticket holders to the Padres' home opener at Petco Park lined up last night as proud and eager witnesses to history.

This was Major League Baseball in downtown San Diego: bright lights, a lusty crowd, Mark Loretta smacking a double deep into left field and, inning by inning, Barry Bonds of the San Francisco Giants chasing the great Willie Mays.

Tens of thousands were on hand, to be sure. But like Woodstock or the march on Washington, thousands of others will likely claim to have been there as the years roll on, as legacies are hatched and stories grow more romantic.

Another sports story, on the opening night at PETCO PARK, and the Padres winning in the late extra innings.. what a debut...

Petco Park top-notch -- but no splash hit / San Diego's new stadium evokes Aztec ruins more than baseball

Petco Park top-notch -- but no splash hit / San Diego's new stadium evokes Aztec ruins more than baseball

Petco Park top-notch -- but no splash hit
San Diego's new stadium evokes Aztec ruins more than baseball
John King Thursday, April 8, 2004

It's bad enough that the Giants' two top pitchers are in dubious health and our ballpark's name is now a set of initials. Now, another California city has unveiled an even newer field of dreams -- one claiming to be no less than "the world's best ballpark.''

But rest easy, San Francisco. The pride of McCovey Cove still takes the honors, if not in the entire world, then at least in the state. By far.

Nice article, and covers some of the comparisons between Pac Bell (yes, I still use the real name) and PETCO PARK, in terms of amenities, size, and architecture.. a nice reporting job from a "rival" newspaper about another "Field of Dreams" in California.. very well-done, recommended reading.. oh, and way to go Padres for the super come-from-behind win in the home opener...

InteliHealth: U.S. Considers Food Guide Pyramid Changes

InteliHealth: U.S. Considers Food Guide Pyramid Changes

U.S. Considers Food Guide Pyramid Changes
April 6, 2004

(The Associated Press) -- The suggestions range from wacky to reasonable, but plenty of people have ideas about how to revamp the federal Food Guide Pyramid, that iconic graphic that supposedly guides how people eat.

An artist wants the pyramid redrawn as a heart pumping iron. A North Carolina man wants it to warn of the "poisons" in vegetables. A Virginia man seems to suggest dumping leafy greens -- his nephew doesn't like them. And just about everyone thinks it should be more specific.

Over 600 pages of letters, e-mails and drawings provide a snapshot of what a nation obsessed with diet really thinks. The revised pyramid is expected to be released in early 2005.