We all know about the largely reported stories this week: The GAO’s less than stellar assessment of the situation in Iraq, Nawaz Sharif’s impending return to General Mr. Musharraf’s Pakistan, and - gasp! - Burning Man’s premature burning. We even got nonstop obsession with Miss Teen South Carolina (who, by the way, is of course milking it for all she can).

But chances are you missed these stories: the first reporter is allowed inside the Terrorist Screening Center, dogs hunt down pirated DVDs, and graffiti for the blind.

More on:
NPR story on the Terrorist Screening Center here.
DVD-sniffing dogs here.
Braille Graffiti project (with video) here.

(audio clip from Dr. Strangelove)

podcasts, week in review, terrorism, technology, art | No Comments »

Five months ago, it came to light that the chief anti-corruption official in Afghanistan has a less reputable past as a heroin dealer here in the U.S.

On monday of this week, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime released a report showing unprecedented levels of opium production and political corruption in Afghanistan.

Hmmmm, might there be a connection here?

More on:
United Nations Office on drugs and Crime here.
U.S. reacts to report by calling the situation “very serious” here.
Guardian Unlimited article on heroin dealer chief Afghan anti-corruption official Izzatullah Wasifi here.

(audio clip from the film Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas)

politics, podcasts, drugs | No Comments »

It’s a legal roundup for this week’s Week in Review. We’ve got spies, security theater, and more.

More on:
Interview with National Intelligence Director Michael McConnell here.
More info on the Pentagon’s TALON database here. Website for the DoD’s Counterintelligence Field Activity, which uses TALON, here.
No pudding for you, here.
Teen prosecuted for recording 20 seconds of a movie here.
AltLaw beta site here.

podcasts, week in review, terrorism, TSA | No Comments »

Earlier this month, officials announced that the Columbian Navy had confiscated a 65-foot submarine, suspected of being used to sneak cocaine into the United States.

It seems this has actually become somewhat of a trend in recent years. With the U.S. military patrolling the skies and open ocean, it seems that the logical place to go is down.

more on:
Columbia seizes submarine here.
U.S. Air Force’s efforts to fight cocaine trafficking here.
Another submarine caught, this one with drugs on-board, here.

podcasts, drugs | No Comments »

Late last week, the American Civil Liberties Union, or ACLU, announced a settlement that the federal governement had reached in a suit brought against it by Jeff and Nicole Rank.

Three years ago, the Ranks attended a public rally for President Bush. They’re not supporters of the President, and wore homemade t-shirts to prove it. They were quickly escorted away in handcuffs and charged with trespassing.

The Ranks followed with a civil suit, which was dropped after the agreement was reached last week. During the case, the Administration admitted to a policy of hiding dissent from cameras and microphones, by use of anti-demonstration “rally squads.”

So, is $80,000 worth your right to express your opinion?

More on:
ABC News video from 2004 election showing that both parties are guilty of stifling dissent here.
AP story on the settlement between the Ranks and the federal government here.
The Presidential Advance Manual, which gives instructions to “rally squads” as how to best hide demonstrators from view, here (courtesy of the ACLU).

(the audio clip in today’s story is from an interview given by Jeff Rank at the 2006 ACLU Membership Conference. Hear him tell the story of what happened here.

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While stories such as Karl Rove’s resignation and the conviction of terrorism-suspect Jose Padilla dominated the news this week, there are some low-reported yet interesting research studies that were recently released. They each throw a monkey wrench into the way we perceive certain issues. Namely: Iraq, military safety and the news.

More on:
Study on shifting Iraqi attitudes here.
Comparing the security danger of official military websites and millogs here. Full documentation from the Electronic Frontier Foundation here.
Gasp! Americans like hard news here.

politics, Iraq, podcasts, media, week in review, religion | No Comments »

If U.S. troops want to play a video game in which they convert or kill non-Christians, they’ll just have to get it themselves.

After pressure from the Military Religious Freedom Foundation, the Department of Defense has shut down an evangelical group’s plan to send free copies of its video game to American soldiers serving in Iraq.

“Left Behind: Eternal Forces” is a PC-based role-playing game, in which your mission is to convert non-believers and kill the Antichrist’s army. The group planning to send the game overseas, Operation Straight Up, is an evangelical entertainment group whose leaders include champion kickboxer Jonathan Spinks and actor Stephen Baldwin.

More on:
“Left Behind: Eternal Forces” here.
Operation Straight UP here.
Max Blumenthal breaks the story here.
Department of Defense cancels the plan here.
Military Religious Freedom Foundation here.

Iraq, podcasts, technology, religion | No Comments »

Mainstream coverage of the Crandall Canyon Mine collapse has largely focused on the dramatic rescue efforts. Many citizen journalists, meanwhile, have been quick to point out the political leanings and character flaws of the mine’s co-owner (and mainstream media favorite), Robert Murray. But lost in all of this coverage are the simple questions: how, why and what can we learn from this?

More on:
Criticism of main stream media coverage here.
Example of soft, rescue-drama coverage on the part of CNN here.
Salt Lake Tribune uncovers important yet largley ignored facts here.
Murray Energy Corp.’s recent safety problems here.

podcasts, media | No Comments »

Television is obsessed with Karl Rove, but the Internet is focused on Dick Cheney. A YouTube video posted a few days ago shows the Vice President thirteen years ago, saying things about Iraq that today would sound like a statement from one of his critics. He even goes as far as to say that invading Baghdad would result in a “quagmire.”

Does this really mean anything? And what will be the lasting effect of this type of footage showing up on the Internet?

More on:
the YouTube video here.

politics, Iraq, podcasts, media | No Comments »

OK, I’m the first to admit that we’re delving into less reputable topics for this week’s roundup. But at least it starts out with something you really ought to be aware of. I promise.

More on:
The Protect America Act here.
CREW’s complaint against House Minority Leader Boehner here.
Florida State Representative pleads fear of black men here.
Houston police officer trades sex for no ticket here.
Young Republican President accused of forcing sex on a sleeping man here.

politics, podcasts, week in review, terrorism | No Comments »