Yes the snow is here for Halloween in the White Mountains. This is Mt. Washington (about 30 miles from our cottage)
Day after day we've endured gale force winds that have blown all but the ice off the crown of the mountain. Yesterday the winds exceeded 133 mph.
I took this shot late in the day from the front of our cottage.

Tidbits on October 30, 2006
Bob Jensen

For earlier editions of Tidbits go to http://www.trinity.edu/rjensen/TidbitsDirectory.htm
For earlier editions of New Bookmarks go to http://www.trinity.edu/rjensen/bookurl.htm 

Click here to search Bob Jensen's web site if you have key words to enter --- Search Site.
For example if you want to know what Jensen documents have the term "Enron" enter the phrase Jensen AND Enron. Another search engine that covers Trinity and other universities is at http://www.searchedu.com/.


Bob Jensen's past presentations and lectures --- http://www.trinity.edu/rjensen/resume.htm#Presentations   

 

Click here to search this Website if you have key words to enter --- Search Site.
For example if you want to know what Jensen documents have the term "Enron" enter the phrase Jensen AND Enron. Another search engine that covers Trinity and other universities is at http://www.searchedu.com/.

Bob Jensen's Home Page is at http://www.trinity.edu/rjensen/


Bob Jensen's blogs and various threads on many topics --- http://www.trinity.edu/rjensen/threads.htm
       (Also scroll down to the table at http://www.trinity.edu/rjensen/ )

Zaba Search free database of names, addresses, birth dates, and phone numbers. Social security numbers and background checks are also available for a fee --- http://www.zabasearch.com/




Online Video, Slide Shows, and Audio
In the past I've provided links to various types of music and video available free on the Web. 
I created a page that summarizes those various links --- http://www.trinity.edu/rjensen/music.htm

Hillary vs. Condi Ho Down (turn up your speakers) --- http://i.euniverse.com/funpages/cms_content/13180/HillaryCondi_HoDown.swf

Celebrating 40 Years of Film in New York City --- http://www.nyc.gov/html/film/html/anniversary/anniversary_home.shtml

Johns Hopkins Medicine Podcasts --- http://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/mediaII/Podcasts.html

Dan Roberts delivers two-minute history lessons on public radio stations around the world. --- http://www.amomentintime.com/

Computer Animated Music (link forwarded by Ed Scribner) --- http://www.animusic.com/downloads.html

John F. Kennedy Presidential Library & Museum --- http://www.jfklibrary.org/

HGTV: Crafts --- http://www.hgtv.com/hgtv/crafting/0,1788,HGTV_3352,00.html

 


Free music downloads --- http://www.trinity.edu/rjensen/music.htm

My Beautiful America (with a slide show) --- http://oldbluewebdesigns.com/mybeautifulamerica.htm

Bryan Adam - Everything I Do (with video) --- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XKNgnqKW3OI

Dizzy Gillespie's Cold War Jazz Diplomacy --- http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=6276832

Jenny Lewis in (Full) Concert --- http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=6254742

Keith Jarrett's Transfixing Tour de Force --- http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=6242814

Zero Refills by the Pernice Brothers --- http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=6242611

Built to Spill in Concert (full rock concert) --- http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=6204355

Building Power Through Electronic Repetition (Norway rock) --- http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=6249187

Cabaret Pop from Abby Travis on 'Glitter Mouth' --- http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=6268053

Forwarded by Auntie Bev
In March, 2005, this song was performed at a Diamond Rio concert. They received an immediate standing ovation, and continue to do so every time they perform it! Sadly, major radio stations wouldn't play it because it was considered politically incorrect. Consequently, the song was never released to the public. If this song speaks to your heart, share it with friends and loved ones. Then let us cease being the silent majority and join together -- not as a particular political party, but as Americans! --- 
Diamond Rio Song


Photographs and Art

Pumpkin Carving 101 --- http://www.pumpkincarving101.com/

Morton, Illinois: The Pumpkin Capital of the World --- http://www.pumpkincapital.com/ 

Eye on Europe: prints, books & multiples / 1960 to now --- http://www.moma.org/exhibitions/2006/eyeoneurope/

Normandy 1944 --- http://search.eb.com/dday

The Joy of Photoshop --- Click Here

Sumari Gallery --- http://horse.shrine.net/

Syntax Denver Review --- http://www.denversyntax.com/issue4/issue4/art/magyar/MagyarGallery/MagyarGallery.html

Stray Dogs: Danijel Zezelj --- http://www.gardnermuseum.org/straydogs/index.htm

From Time Magazine
Japanese photographer Kosuke Okahara traces the dark path of drugs from the jungle of Colombia to the streets of Medellin and beyond ---
http://www.time.com/time/photoessays/2006/colombia_drugs/

 


Online Books, Poems, References, and Other Literature
In the past I've provided links to various types electronic literature available free on the Web. 
I created a page that summarizes those various links --- http://www.trinity.edu/rjensen/ElectronicLiterature.htm

HyperHistory Chart --- http://www.hyperhistory.com/

HISTORICAL INFORMATION RESOURCES --- http://www.refdesk.com/facthist.html

Dan Roberts delivers two-minute history lessons on public radio stations around the world. --- http://www.amomentintime.com/

Good Wives by Louisa May Alcott (1832-1888) --- Click Here

Little Women by Louisa May Alcott (1832-1888) --- Click Here

The Adventure of The Beryl Coronet by Arthur Conan Doyle (1859-1930) --- Click Here

Normandy 1944 --- http://search.eb.com/dday

Ancient Greece --- http://www.ancientgreece.co.uk/

Syntax Denver Review --- http://www.denversyntax.com/issue4/issue4/art/magyar/MagyarGallery/MagyarGallery.html

From the University of Virginia Library
785 Dirty Words --- http://www.lib.virginia.edu/small/exhibits/censored/words.html

The Access to Archival Databases (AAD) System gives you online access to electronic records that are highly structured, such as in databases. The initial release of AAD contains material from more than 30 archival series of electronic records, which include over 350 data files totaling well over 50 million unique records.
National Archives --- http://aad.archives.gov/aad/

Working Poets featured in The New Yorker, October 23, 2006 --- http://www.newyorker.com/online/content/articles/061030on_onlineonly03




  • There is no opinion so absurd that some philosopher will not express it.
    Marcus Tullius Cicero (106 BC-43 BC) --- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marcus_Tullius_Cicero

    You have not understood anything as you are an average man. An average man is a monster, a dangerous delinquent, a conformist, a racist, a slave-driver and a man who couldn't care less about politics.
    Pier Paolo Pasolini (1922-1975) --- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pier_Paolo_Pasolini

    It seemed the world was divided into good and bad people. The good ones slept better... while the bad ones seemed to enjoy the waking hours much more.
    Woody Allen (1935)  --- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Woody_Allen

    Oslo gay animal show draws crowds Curators say a Norwegian exhibition on homosexuality among animals has been well received, despite initial indications of strong opposition. The Oslo Natural History Museum opened the show last week and says it has been well attended, not least by families . . . It says homosexuality has been observed among 1,500 species, and that in 500 of those it is well documented . . . "Not only short-lived sexual relationships, but even long-lasting partnerships; partnerships that may last a lifetime."
    BBC News, October 19, 2006 --- http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/6066606.stm

    The great object of my fear is the federal judiciary. That body, like gravity, ever acting, with noiseless foot, and unalarming advance, gaining ground step by step, and holding what it gains, is ingulfing insidiously the special governments into the jaws of that which feeds them.
    Thomas Jefferson --- http://archive.patriotpost.us/pub/06-42_Digest/

    Thirty percent of Maryland's college freshmen who graduated with a college-prep education in a state high school were assigned to remedial classes, according to a recently released study. The Maryland Higher Education Commission said that many of the students needing help in math or English were attending four-year colleges.
    "30% of freshmen in remedial classes," Washington Times, October 25, 2006 --- http://www.washingtontimes.com/metro/20061024-110355-8556r.htm

    British Airways has been accused of appalling double standards after admitting Muslim staff may be allowed to wear veils - just weeks after it sent a Christian home for wearing a cross. Check-in worker Nadia Eweida has been on unpaid leave for a month after the airline banned her from wearing her tiny cross on a necklace over her uniform.
    Jane Merrick, Tom Kelly, and Gordon Rayner, "Fury as BA says it would allow Muslim veil but not cross," Daily Mail, October 25, 2006 --- Click Here 

    Former Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor is the new chancellor of the College of William & Mary, which has taken the unusual step of removing a cross from its chapel in an effort to ensure the area is seen as a "non-denominational area."
    "O'Connor new chancellor of cross-removing college:  Former Supreme Court justice oversaw ejection of Christian symbol from chapel," WorldNetDaily, October 27, 2006 ---  http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=52651




    Are Republican's controlling the voting machines to rig elections?  Yes says Barbara Streisand
    Here they go again…frustrated by plummeting approval ratings and the relentless scandals, the Republicans have a new ad coming out, just in time for next month’s election, that is determined to provoke fear and panic in American voters. As Herman Goering was quoted at the Nuremberg trials, “…voice or no voice, the people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. That is easy. All you have to do is tell them they are being attacked, and denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism, and exposing the country to greater danger." The new ad essentially repeats the Republican strategy before the 2004 presidential election: vote Democrat and your family will die! The ad features Osama bin Laden and quotes his threats against America from February 1998. "These are the stakes," the ad concludes, "Vote November 7." This tactic of playing the fear card is all too familiar. During the 2004 election, every time John Kerry's poll numbers elevated, the government announced a new heightened terror alert and people were once again forced to face the orange color code. We can not let it work, we can not fall for it again. This Administration would like Americans to forget that they were the ones who gave up on the search for Osama bin Laden in Afghanistan, and instead choose to invade Iraq, a country that had no connection to 9/11. They will manipulate the truth and repress the facts in order to be successful. They will try to hack voting machines, which are owned and operated by Republicans, in order to steal the election. They will do anything to stay in power. Until the law changes, the only answer is for Americans to turn out in massive numbers to vote and ask for paper ballots that can be tracked, so Republicans will not succeed in stealing this election. Don’t let the Republicans fear mongering and distortion work this time. Vote on November 7, 2006.
    Barbara Streisand, "Here We Go Again," October 23, 2006 --- http://www.barbrastreisand.com/statements.html#hereagain

    But wait a minute Barbara! It's possible that Venezuelan Dictator and Castro's Friend Hugo Chávez controls many U.S. voting machines?
    In the debate about the reliability of electronic voting technology, the South Florida parent company of one of the nation's leading suppliers of touch-screen voting machines is drawing special scrutiny from the U.S. government. Federal officials are investigating whether Smartmatic, owner of Oakland, Calif.-based Sequoia Voting Systems, is secretly controlled by Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez, according to two people familiar with the probe.
    Alfonso Chardy, "U.S. digs for vote-machine links to Hugo Chávez," Miami Herald, October 28, 2006 --- http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/world/americas/15869919.htm
    Also see http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=52668

    Jensen Comment
    We probably won't know which party controls the most voting machines until the winners are tallied after November 7. I was amused by the author's name "Chardy" given the "Chard Scandal" of the punch-card ballots in Florida's crucial 2004 election.


    Anna Politkovskaya and the Self-Defense of Democracy By Jon Hellevig The writer is a Finnish lawyer who has lived in Moscow for 15 years. He has written the book Expressions and Interpretations ( www.hellevig.ru ) discussing Russia's social development from the viewpoint of philosophy and judicial philosophy. He is also the author of several books on the Russian tax and labor law.

    "Anna Politkovskaya and the Self-Defense of Democracy," by Jon Hellevig, JRL Email Newsletter, October 26, 2006 ---
    http://www.cdi.org/russia/johnson/2006-236-28.cfm

    The writer is a Finnish lawyer who has lived in Moscow for 15 years. He has written the book Expressions and Interpretations (www.hellevig.ru) discussing Russia's social development from the viewpoint of philosophy and judicial philosophy. He is also the author of several books on the Russian tax and labor law.

    The murder of Russian journalist Anna Politkovskaya has once again induced a surge of anti-Russianism in Finland. Politicians, so-called researchers and media declare that Russian leaders masterminded the murder. Many people cautiously avoid these direct expressions, while being highly critical of the Russian government. Foreign Minister Erkki Tuomioja falls somewhere between the two groups, whereas Markku Kivinen from the University of Helsinki affiliated Aleksanteri Institute and MP Heidi Hautala clearly belong to the latter. It is obviously not in the interests of the Russian President to have a well known journalist killed (pointing this out would not be necessary, but for the continuous smear campaign against Russia). Based on information I received from Jukka Mallinen (translator of Politkovskaya's "Putin's Russia" into Finnish), there were no Russian government officials behind the murder. On the other hand, there is reason to put forward an alternative motive, which is quite possible -- that the murder was orchestrated by those wishing to create the kind of public opinion climate to compliment an anti-Russian agenda.

    In our culture, we usually honor the memory of the deceased by saying positive things about the departed in times of sorrow. One would like to show the same respect for Politkovskaya as well. But I cannot keep quiet when I see how her memory has been turned into a weapon to hit the Russian people in a manner that hinders Russia's development.

    Some are not happy with the opportunities that have been created during Putin's presidency.This includes the chance for many to now actively participate in a democratically run market economy. Upon the Soviet breakup, criminal elements took advantage of the weakness of a young nascent democracy by grabbing and stealing enormous possessions. Putin, courageously challenged the Mafia and oligarchs (often separated through a fine line drawn on water).

    Thirsty for "revenge", some of the non-Russian former Soviet states egg on the EU to engage Russia in a confrontational manner They overlook that Russia and the Russian people were the biggest victims of communism. Led by Yeltsin, the Russian people freed themselves from that burden and encouraged this spirit to other former prisoner-countries. Due to Russia's large land mass encompassing troubled regions, Russia unwillingly gets drawn into dirty games. This predicament gets twisted into the claim of a revanchist Russia bullying small, defenseless others.

    Given the uncritical fanfare accorded to Politkovskaya's work as a journalist, there is reason to critically review it. A case in point is her book "Putin's Russia", (published in 2004) which has been translated into several languages.

    In this book, she emotionally focuses on peoples' life situations (a style used in Karl Marx's Das Kapital, where he childishly tries to prove his theories of capital through the stories of people's everyday lives). Politkovskaya begins and ends her book with a stated disgust of Putin (as per the English translation of the book, see the Introduction as well as pages 281 and 282). She states her dislike of Putin "because he was a product of the Russian security service" (as if George Bush Sr.'s politics should be condemned on the grounds that he headed the CIA; a prevalent talking point in some circles). According to Politkovskaya, the KGB influenced Putin "does nothing but destroy civil liberties as he has all through his career". No mention is made of Putin's support for the late democratic mayor of St. Petersburg, Anatoly Sobchak. At the end, Politkovskaya states she is disgusted with Putin because there is a war in Chechnya (as if he started it). She adds that in her view, he is a cold, cynical, racist, who is prone to lying (among other references in her book, see pages 281-82). Politkovskaya does not like the fact that this evil (in her view) man goes to Easter church services (pages 279 and 280).

    Continued in article


    October 20, 2006 --- Naomi Ragen [nragen@netvision.net.il]

    Publication of Jimmy Carter's new book- Palestine:Peace not Apartheid- might have been postponed until after the upcoming elections because they want to keep Jews loyal to the Democratic Party. After all, an anti-Semitic, and anti -Israel diatribe by a former Democratic president, embraced by the current Democratic Party, couldn't be good for the elections. Best to keep the Jews clueless until after they vote in Jimmy's friends.

    Judging from an advance review manuscript of the new work, published by Simon & Schuster and set for release November 14, Carter appears to place the bulk of the blame on Israel for its continuing conflict with the Palestinians. But his critics will probably be most offended by the use of the word "apartheid" in the title.

    The book comes as the Republican Jewish Coalition is already waging a nationwide media campaign to convince Jewish voters that the Democratic Party can no longer be counted on to provide unflinching support for Israel. . . .

    The book was originally slated to be released November 1--six days prior to this year's congressional elections--but will now be available in stores November 14, according to Simon & Schuster spokeswoman Elizabeth Hayes.

    Jewish Democrats say that they were pushing for a later release date.

    Hayes says the delay was to allow Carter time to add material on the summer's war with Hezbollah. In any case, it's an interesting contrast with the spate of anti-Bush books that have come out just in time for the election.

    Naomi


    Paul Keating made it impossible to deport Sheik Hilaly from Australia
    FORMER prime minister Paul Keating has told the media to "nick off" over questions about his role in granting permanent residency to controversial Sheik Taj al-Din al-Hilaly. And he also singled out a female journalist, telling her: "I will not be harassed by journalists, even by pretty ones like you." Mr Keating reportedly lobbied his Labor government colleagues in the late 1980s to ensure Sheik Hilaly was not deported and granted him permanent residency when he was acting prime minister in 1990.
    "'Nick off', Keating tells media," News.com, October 30, 2006 ---  http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,20668331-1702,00.html 

    Sheik Hilali praises Iraq jihadists --- http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,20867,20666914-601,00.html

    Sheik Hilali justifies raping women who fail to cover their faces with veils --- http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,20667815-2,00.html

    The Sheik now has serious health problems --- http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,20667815-2,00.html


    A Dangerous Step toward Space Warfare
    The release of the U.S. National Space Policy (NSP) on October 6 has worried many experts, who say the policy marks a strategic shift toward a more military-oriented, unilateral approach to space for the United States. They fear that the policy, if followed, could begin an arms race leading to catastrophic space warfare.The NSP reads, in part, "The United States considers space capabilities… vital to its national interests. Consistent with this policy, the United States will: preserve its rights, capabilities, and freedom of action in space; dissuade or deter others from either impeding those rights or developing capabilities intended to do so; take those actions necessary to protect its space capabilities; respond to interference; and deny, if necessary, adversaries the use of space capabilities hostile to U.S. national interests."
    Brittany Sauser, "A Dangerous Step toward Space Warfare:  Experts say the new U.S. National Space Policy will push the world closer to a space arms race," MIT's Technology Review, October 27, 2006 --- http://www.technologyreview.com/read_article.aspx?id=17668&ch=infotech 


    "We are biased, admit the stars of BBC News," by Simon Walters, Daily Mail, October 21, 2006 --- http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=411846&in_page_id=1770

    It was the day that a host of BBC executives and star presenters admitted what critics have been telling them for years: the BBC is dominated by trendy, Left-leaning liberals who are biased against Christianity and in favour of multiculturalism.

    A leaked account of an 'impartiality summit' called by BBC chairman Michael Grade, is certain to lead to a new row about the BBC and its reporting on key issues, especially concerning Muslims and the war on terror.

    It reveals that executives would let the Bible be thrown into a dustbin on a TV comedy show, but not the Koran, and that they would broadcast an interview with Osama Bin Laden if given the opportunity. Further, it discloses that the BBC's 'diversity tsar', wants Muslim women newsreaders to be allowed to wear veils when on air.

    At the secret meeting in London last month, which was hosted by veteran broadcaster Sue Lawley, BBC executives admitted the corporation is dominated by homosexuals and people from ethnic minorities, deliberately promotes multiculturalism, is anti-American, anti-countryside and more sensitive to the feelings of Muslims than Christians.

    One veteran BBC executive said: 'There was widespread acknowledgement that we may have gone too far in the direction of political correctness.

    'Unfortunately, much of it is so deeply embedded in the BBC's culture, that it is very hard to change it.'

    In one of a series of discussions, executives were asked to rule on how they would react if the controversial comedian Sacha Baron Cohen ) known for his offensive characters Ali G and Borat - was a guest on the programme Room 101.

    On the show, celebrities are invited to throw their pet hates into a dustbin and it was imagined that Baron Cohen chose some kosher food, the Archbishop of Canterbury, a Bible and the Koran.

    Nearly everyone at the summit, including the show's actual producer and the BBC's head of drama, Alan Yentob, agreed they could all be thrown into the bin, except the Koran for fear of offending Muslims.

    Continued in article

    A senior BBC executive has admitted the politically correct views of the corporation are at odds with most of its viewers. BBC commissioning editor for documentaries Richard Klein admitted the broadcaster was out of touch with the British public, saying it was guilty of "ignoring" mainstream opinion.
    Paul Revoir, "BBC 'guilty' of ignoring public opinion says senior executive," Daily Mail, October 26, 2006 --- Click Here

    BBC Lends Aid to Enemies of the U.K.
    The BBC has come under fire from the Conservative Party after broadcasting an interview with a spokesman for the Taliban. His face hidden by a veil, Dr Mahammed Anif told BBC2's Newsnight that the Taliban would throw foreign armies out of Afghanistan. He also dismissed British and American claims to be rebuilding the country as an "excuse" to invade. Other members of a Taliban group in Helmand province were also filmed, vowing to fight to the death against British troops who are seeking to bring security to the area. Shadow defence secretary Liam Fox denounced the interviews as "obscene" and accused the BBC of broadcasting propaganda on behalf of Britain's enemies.
    "Tories brand BBC's Taliban interview 'obscene propaganda'," Daily Mail, October 26, 2006 --- Click Here

    Charlotte Church has a new talk show in England, where she plays a profanity-spewing hostess who is part Rosie O'Donnell, part Keith Olbermann (she has bashed President Bush as 'clueless' and a 'twat') and completely unhinged. The pilot episode featured Charlotte calling Pope Benedict XVI a Nazi, dressing as a nun and pretending to hallucinate while eating communion wafers imprinted with smiley faces…
    Michelle Malkin, "Where have all the good girls gone?" WorldNetDaily, September 27, 2006 --- http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=52163
    Jensen Comment
    Michelle Malkin's critical commentary on Charlotte Church's bad behavior made her (Michelle) an Internet assault target --- http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=52430
    I wonder who would be the target if Charlotte Church dared to portray a Muslim leader as a Nazi! BBC wisely will not allow Charlotte Church to criticize Muslims --- only Christians, Jews, and the U.S. coalition forces.
    You can listen to foul-mouthed Charlotte Church masquerading as an sweet-voiced angel at http://www.bbc.co.uk/wales/music/sites/charlottechurch/
    (Click on the listing under Media Clips)


    Al-Qaida Launches 'Media War' Against U.S
    As U.S. military losses mount steadily in Iraq, a document issued by a group linked to al Qaeda spells out new goals for America's most determined enemies and calls for a media war against the United States. The document, which began circulating on the Internet this month, illustrates the techniques Washington's enemy is using in what President George W. Bush has called the "war of ideas." "The people of jihad need to carry out a media war parallel to the military war . . . because we can observe the effect that the media have on nations," said the document, signed by Najd al-Rawi of the Global Islamic Media Front, a group associated with al Qaeda.
    "Al-Qaida Launches 'Media War' Against U.S.," NewsMax, October 27, 2006 --- http://newsmax.com/archives/ic/2006/10/27/230535.shtml?s=ic

    CNN Broadcasts Al-Qaida Propaganda Film:  Probably in Another Media Effort to Influence the November 7 Election
    So why did CNN air something that cannot be defended as newsworthy? That video was given to CNN by terrorists in order to demoralize the American people about the hopelessness of Iraq just before midterm elections. And CNN did exactly what the terrorists wanted, and CNN knows it. In his introduction that night, Anderson Cooper said, "Insurgents" -- never terrorists, mind you, always "insurgents" -- were "delivering a deadly message, aiming for a global audience." CNN is the terrorist's messenger service, FedEx for the fanatics who want us dead.
    Brent Bozell III, "CNN, STENOGRAPHER TO TERROR," Yahoo News, October 25, 2006 --- http://news.yahoo.com/s/uc/20061025/cm_uc_crbbox/l_brent_bozell_iii20061025

    From Opinion Journal on October 19, 2006

    We have long argued that America's mainstream media--because of what they see as the "lessons of Vietnam"--are actively working to promote American defeat in Iraq. (We gave this theme a lengthy treatment in a talk last November at the Hudson Institute, which later became an essay in the February issue of The American Spectator http://www.opinionjournal.com/extra/?id=110007888 .) From CNN comes one of the most striking bits of evidence yet that this is the case. This promo for a "CNN exclusive" appears today on the homepage of CNN.com (we've captured it here http://www.opinionjournal.com/best/101906cnn.htm for posterity as well):

    *** QUOTE ***

    Almost 2,800 Americans have been killed so far in Iraq and one of the most dangerous insurgent opponents is the sniper. CNN has obtained graphic video from the Islamic Army of Iraq, one of the most active insurgent organizations in Iraq, showing its sniper teams targeting U.S. troops. The Islamist Army says it wants talks with the United States and some Islamist Internet postings call for a P.R. campaign aimed at influencing the American public. The video is disturbing to watch but CNN believes the story, shocking as it is, needs to be told.

    *** END QUOTE ***

    By airing this video, CNN is participating in what it acknowledges is "a P.R. campaign aimed at influencing the American public" in ways favorable to America's enemies. And the network does not even seem to realize what a shocking admission this is.

    With the midterm elections less than three weeks away, the media are filled with Tet talk. Here's Simon Hooper http://edition.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/meast/10/18/iraq.feature/index.html , in a commentary that also appears today on CNN.com:

    *** QUOTE ***

    For veteran statesmen such as [James] Baker, the parallels with another era-defining American war must also be striking. In the late 1960s the U.S. military found itself fighti

    ng an unwinnable conflict, enduring mounting casualties against a growing chorus of dissent at home--in Vietnam.

    On Wednesday [President] Bush himself acknowledged parallels between the current situation in Iraq and the 1968 Tet Offensive--widely considered to be the point when American public opinion turned against the war.

    *** END QUOTE ***

    As we noted yesterday http://www.opinionjournal.com/best/?id=110009112#tet , Thomas Friedman of the New York Times also drew the analogy in a column whose description of Tet is worth repeating:

    *** QUOTE ***

    Although the Vietcong and Hanoi were badly mauled during Tet, they delivered, through the media, such a psychological blow to U.S. hopes of "winning" in Vietnam that Tet is widely credited with eroding support for President Johnson and driving him to withdraw as a candidate for re-election.

    *** END QUOTE ***

    Tet, that is, was a military victory for the U.S. that turned into a propaganda victory for the communists because American journalists presented a false picture of what had happened.

    The media today are eager to repeat their "success" in Vietnam--and it was a success inasmuch as the media were hugely influential over the course of events. But from a journalistic standpoint it was a gross failure. The real lesson of Vietnam is that journalists got the story wrong. We are not at all convinced that the American people are about to get fooled again.

    Jensen Comment
    In addition I would question the authenticity of the sniper video received from Islamic terrorists. There's been an opposing video circulating on the Web that shows U.S. snipers knocking off the Taliban. My physicist friend in Germany tells me that the flying movements of the Taliban fighters is totally contrary to the laws of physics. In other words the video is totally faked. CNN would not air such a pro U.S. video even if it was not fake, especially just before an election. CNN prefers to air possibly faked video critical of the U.S. and its coalition partners. Hoping to pressure the U.S. into surrender, CNN prefers to air Islamic Army propaganda.


    THE French saying, often attributed to Talleyrand, that “this is worse than a crime, it’s a blunder,” could easily describe America’s invasion of Iraq. But for the United States to pull entirely out of that country right now, as is being demanded by a growing chorus of critics, would be to snatch an unqualified disaster from the jaws of an enormous blunder . . . A total withdrawal from Iraq would play into the hands of the jihadist terrorists. As Osama bin Laden’s deputy, Ayman al-Zawahri, made clear shortly after 9/11 in his book “Knights Under the Prophet’s Banner,” Al Qaeda’s most important short-term strategic goal is to seize control of a state, or part of a state, somewhere in the Muslim world. “Confronting the enemies of Islam and launching jihad against them require a Muslim authority, established on a Muslim land,” he wrote. “Without achieving this goal our actions will mean nothing.” Such a jihadist state would be the ideal launching pad for future attacks on the West. And there is no riper spot than the Sunni-majority areas of central and western Iraq. Abu Musab al-Zarqawi — the most feared insurgent commander in Iraq — was issuing an invitation to Mr. bin Laden when he named his group Al Qaeda in Iraq. When Mr. Zarqawi was killed this year, his successor, Abu Hamza al-Muhajer, also swore allegiance to Al Qaeda’s chief.
    Peter Bergen, "What Osama Wants," The New York Times, October 26, 2006 --- http://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/26/opinion/26bergen.html
    Peter Bergen, a senior fellow of the New America Foundation, is the author of “The Osama bin Laden I Know: An Oral History of Al Qaeda’s Leader.”
     


    In recent months, the Kremlin has changed its opinion of the EU from bureaucratic irrelevance to a serious threat to Russian interests.
    According to Europe's post-modernist fantasy, balance-of-power calculations or realpolitik of this sort are vestiges of a dark past -- or, worse, something indulged mostly by America. Europe prefers softly-softly diplomacy, asking Russia to open its energy markets to competition and pussyfooting about the demise of free speech and democracy there. Here are a few examples of how that approach is working: Shell's $20 billion oil and gas project in Sakhalin looks likely to fall victim to the Kremlin's strategy to reassert central control over energy. On the democracy front the most outspoken journalistic critic of the Putin regime, Anna Politkovskaya, was gunned down in cold blood this month. Europe may finally be "getting" it, thanks in part to the new EU members, who hold fewer romantic notions about their large eastern neighbor. Earlier in the week, the bloc issued a surprisingly muscular démarche to Moscow to keep its hands off Georgia. Europe's reliance on Russian energy has prompted some serious thought to alternative suppliers. Mr. Putin will no doubt try to split Europe, and the trans-Atlantic alliance, by courting Berlin or Paris. European Gaullists believed that a common EU foreign policy would be forged in opposition to America. How fanciful this notion seems today as the Union is engaged in a real-life encounter with Mr. Putin that's turning out to be a test of the bloc's ability to stand up for itself.
    "Look Who's Coming to Dinner," The Wall Street Journal, October 20, 2006 --- Click Here

    In general, Central Europe is a success story. The Czech and Slovak republics, Hungary and Poland are free-market democracies. Formerly part of the Warsaw Pact, they are now members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and the European Union. Central Europeans have higher incomes, life expectancies and school enrollments than ever before. Yet liberalism, the philosophy of political, civil and economic freedom that was instrumental in bringing about those advances, is on the defensive. In Slovakia, a nationalist-socialist coalition defeated Mikulas Dzurinda's reformist government. In Poland, a coalition deal between conservatives and nationalists kept the liberal Civic Platform out of power. In the Czech Republic, the liberal Civic Democratic Party won the elections but is too weak to form a government. In Hungary, the populists were kept from gaining power -- but only by a whisker, and only because the ruling socialists lied about the real state of the economy.
    Marian L. Tupy, "Still in the Market for Reforms," The Wall Street Journal, October 20, 2006 --- Click Here

    "What's Behind Russia's Crime Wave? BusinessWeek's Moscow correspondent weighs reasons—including Putin's upcoming departure—behind recent murders and the rise in other crimes," by Jason Bush, Business Week, October 20, 2006 --- Click Here

  • Russia is reeling from a series of assassinations. On Sept. 13, central banker Andrei Kozlov was shot dead outside a Moscow soccer stadium, becoming the highest-ranking government official to be murdered in many years. Just three weeks later, well-known journalist Anna Politkovskaya was murdered outside her apartment in another apparent contract killing. Recent weeks have also seen several murders of businesspeople, including a Moscow bank manager and the property manager for the Itar-Tass news agency.

    Although there is no apparent link between the killings, Russians are beginning to ask if the coincidence is somehow significant. Perhaps, after the relative calm of recent years, violence is returning to Russia's business and political life.

    What's clear is that the recent spate of high-profile murders has put the spotlight once again on Russia's reputation for criminality. But are the killings part of a more general trend? And is Russia's poor reputation justified? BusinessWeek's Moscow correspondent Jason Bush weighs the evidence.

    Continued in article


  • Even liberals concede that President Hugo Chávez goofed at the U.N.
    Both supporters and detractors of President Hugo Chávez say he may have miscalculated in turning the United Nations into his bully pulpit.
    "Venezuelan’s Diatribe at U.N. May Have Backfired, by Warren Hoge," The New York Times, October 25, 2006 --- Click Here

    Hugo Chávez may not be able to buy Cuba as planned
    At this time the military seems to be loyal to Raul. Nevertheless, the dictator in waiting has at least two reasons to be worried. The first is Hugo Chávez, who pours an estimated $2 billion into the Cuban economy annually and seems to believe that he is the rightful revolutionary successor to Fidel. Rumor has it that attitude is not going down too well with Raul or his men. As Brian Latell, former CIA analyst and author of "After Fidel" (Palgrave Macmillan, 2005), pointed out this week: "It may also be reasonable to speculate that Raul and his military commanders feel contempt for the mercurial and often bizarre Venezuelan, who rose no higher than lieutenant colonel in the decidedly less professional and accomplished Venezuelan military."
    Mary Anastasia O'Grady, "Cubans Begin to Just Say No,"  The Wall Street Journal, October 27, 2006; Page A15 --- http://online.wsj.com/article/SB116191499193705599.html?mod=opinion&ojcontent=otep


    Most women raped by Islamic men asked for it by not wearing veils
    Australia's top Muslim cleric rationalized a series of gang rapes by Arab men, blaming women who "sway suggestively," wear make-up and don't cover themselves in the tradition of Islam . . . The victims of the vicious gang rapes are leading the national outcry – with some calling for deportation of the sheik. In a Sydney Daily Telegraph online poll, 84 percent of people said the Egyptian-born sheik should be deported.
    "Imam justifies rape of unveiled women:  Australian cleric compares victims to 'uncovered meat' that attracts cats," WorldNet Daily, October 26, 2006 --- http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=52630
     


    Anger Festering in French Areas Scarred in Riots: Crime Pays in French Courts
    “Tension is rising very dramatically,” said Patrice Ribeiro, the deputy head of the Synergie Officiers police union. “There is the will to kill.” Last month a leaked law enforcement memo warned of a “climate of impunity” in Seine-St.-Denis, the infamous district north of Paris that includes suburbs like Épinay-sur-Seine. It reported a 23 percent increase in violent robberies and a 14 percent increase in assaults in the district of 1.5 million people in the first half of this year, complaining that young, inexperienced police officers were overwhelmed and the court system was lax. Only one of 85 juveniles arrested during the unrest was jailed, it added.
    Elaine Sciolino and Ariane Bernard, "Anger Festering in French Areas Scarred in Riots," The New York Times, October 20, 2006 --- Click Here
     


    America's Election Year Economics
    Recently Bill Clinton, at the British Labour Party's annual conference, delivered what the Times of London described as a "relaxed, almost rambling" and "easy anecdotal" speech to an enthralled audience of leftists eager for evidence of American disappointments. Never a connoisseur of understatement, Mr. Clinton said America is "now outsourcing college-education jobs to India." But Mr. Clinton-as-Cassandra should not persuade college students to abandon their quest for diplomas: The unemployment rate among American college graduates is 2%. Mr. Clinton is always a leading indicator of "progressive" fashions in rhetoric. And every election year -- meaning every other year -- brings an epidemic of dubious economic analysis, as members of the party out of power discern lead linings on silver clouds.
    George Will, "America's Election Year Economics," The Washington Post via The Wall Street Journal, October 19, 2006 --- http://online.wsj.com/article/SB116120734276596841.html?mod=opinion&ojcontent=otep


    "A Nadir of U.S. Power," by Sebastian Mallaby, The Washington Post, October 23, 2006 ---
    http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/10/22/AR2006102200716.html

    A few years ago, the collapse of Russia's currency triggered a furious debate in Washington over who lost Russia. Now Russia's pro-Western voices are being snuffed out, and Americans are so inured to the limits of their power that they don't even pose that question. A crusading journalist has been killed, and on Thursday Vladimir Putin silenced Human Rights, Amnesty International and more than 90 other foreign organizations. Everyone accepts that there's not much the West can do about this.

    In Somalia, a Taliban-style group of Islamic militants has seized part of the country. One of its commanders is said to be sheltering terrorists who blew up the U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania: A brand-new terrorist haven may be emerging. Again, it is assumed that the world's sole superpower can't do much but watch.

    Three long years ago, the Bush administration described the killing in Darfur as genocide. You might think that an impoverished African state that can't control its own territory would be a pushover. But the Bush administration has tried sanctions, peace talks and United Nations resolutions. Sudan's tin-pot dictator thumbs his nose at Uncle Sam and dispatches more death squads.

    When historians analyze the decline of empires, they tend to point to economic frailties that undercut military vigor. Well, the United States has several economic frailties and can't seem to address any of them.

    Every honest politician knows that entitlement spending on retirees is going to bust the budget. But since the failure of Bush's proposed Social Security overhaul last year, nobody is doing anything about it.

    Every honest politician knows that we need to quit gobbling carbon. But higher gas taxes are seen as a political non-starter on both sides of the political spectrum.

    Every honest politician knows that support for globalization is fraying because of rising inequality at home. But how many of them stand up for policies that could reduce inequality without harming growth -- most obviously, tax reform? You don't hear anybody on the left or right denouncing the absurdity that more than half the tax breaks for homeownership flow to the richest 12 percent of households.

    In fact, it's hard to name a single creative policy that has political legs in Washington. Is anyone serious about tackling the crazy tort system, which consumes more than a dollar in administrative and legal costs for every dollar it transfers to the victims of malpractice? Nope. Is there any prospect of allowing the millions of immigrants who come here to do so legally? To be honest, not much.

    Instead, the right and left are pushing policies that are marginal to the country's problems. The right wants to make its tax cuts "permanent," even though the boomers' retirement ensures that taxes will have to go up. The left wants to raise the minimum wage, even though this can only help a minority of workers.

    I'm not predicting the end of the American era, not by a long shot. The U.S. business culture is as pragmatic and effective as its political culture is dysfunctional. But has there been a worse moment for American power since Ronald Reagan celebrated morning in America almost a quarter of a century ago? I can't think of one.


    Canadians Grow Weary of Crime Leniency
    Calgarians are throwing their support behind a city cop facing internal charges after lashing out at the justice system. Const. Shaun Horne said he is overwhelmed by the support of fellow police officers and the public since the Sun reported he has lost faith in the justice system after a man with 65 convictions and Canada-wide warrants was released with conditions in December by justice of the peace Kristine Robidoux. “I’m at a loss for words,” he said today. “I can’t believe the support.”
    "Charged cop gets support City cop facing internal charges after lashing out at the justice system," Canada's CNews, September 14, 2006 --- http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/Law/2006/09/13/1837678-sun.html

    Another Tragic Case of Judicial Leniency:
    What will the judge do after the guy raped and killed again and again after being released by the judge?

    Six years ago, convicted sex offender Kenneth Glenn Hinson was released from prison after a judge rejected prosecutors' pleas that he be committed indefinitely. That same judge was to preside Thursday over a preliminary hearing for Hinson, now charged with kidnapping and raping two teenage girls in an underground room behind his home. Circuit Judge Edward Cottingham's decision in 2001 allowed for the eventual release of Hinson, 48, who was arrested again after a four-day manhunt in March. The girls were sexually assaulted and left bound inside the room, concealed under a shed, but managed to free themselves and get to safety, authorities have said. The dungeon was a chilly, crypt-like space, just 4 1/2 feet deep and roughly the length and width of a midsize car, with the floor and walls lined with two-by-fours. A single 75-watt bulb illuminated the space.
    Meg Kinnard, "S.C. rapist to face judge who freed him," Yahoo News, October 26, 2006 ---
    http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20061026/ap_on_re_us/underground_dungeon
    Jensen Comment
    I know a judge in San Antonio, Texas  that would give Hinson another probation sentence this time around. This judge repeatedly gave probation to a serial rapist who finally went to prison only because he finally raped a woman outside Texas (New Jersey). According to a video of San Francisco's Chief of Police, the San Francisco Chronicle and City Supervisors are doing their best to discourage applicants and lower the morale of present officers.  San Francisco is known for its lenient Judges and liberal Supervisors. The S.F. Chief of Police accuses the Judges and Supervisors of having no accountability and calls the San Francisco Chronicle a piece of crap ---http://mfile.akamai.com/12948/wmv/vod.ibsys.com/2006/0728/9591734.300k.asx

    But this one tops it all in terms of judicial and lawyer insanity
    The roots of this folly are in the 1970s, when many state courts began to decide that the intentional acts of criminals shouldn't bar plaintiffs from collecting money from others with deeper pockets. So if you are carjacked -- sue the parking- lot owner. Most legislatures have yet to reverse this radical legal change. Thus trial lawyers, thanks to New York Supreme Court Justice Nicholas Figueroa's generous rulings and jury instructions, persuaded a jury in October last year that the terrorists who planted a truck bomb in the World Trade Center garage in 1993 were only 32% responsible, while the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey was 68% responsible -- and therefore, under New York law, wholly on the hook for $1.8 billion in damages.
    Ted Frank, "Follow the Money," The Wall Street Journal, October 28, 2006; Page A7 ---
    http://online.wsj.com/article/SB116199449742706658.html?mod=todays_us_opinion





    Here's a way you can drastically cut your auto insurance rates from major insurance companies --- register your car easily in North Carolina --- http://www.charlotte.com/mld/observer/15877350.htm?template=contentModules/printstory.jsp
     

    Generation of online libraries is born --- http://physorg.com/news81346069.html
     


    Hackers are having success in looting online stock accounts: Guess where these high tech thieves live?
    Hackers have been breaking into customer accounts at large online brokerages in the United States and making unauthorized trades worth millions of dollars as part of a fast-growing new form of online fraud under investigation by federal authorities. E-Trade Financial Corp., the nation's fourth-largest online broker, said last week that "concerted rings" in Eastern Europe and Thailand caused their customers $18 million in losses in the third quarter alone.
    Ellen Nakashima, "Hackers Zero In on Online Stock Accounts," The Washington Post, October 24, 2006 --- Click Here

    Bob Jensen's threads on computing and network security are at http://www.trinity.edu/rjensen/ecommerce/000start.htm#SpecialSection


    Investors never seem to grow weary of being screwed by mutual fund executives
    The Securities and Exchange Commission has launched an investigation of 27 mutual-fund companies that the agency says have accepted kickbacks totaling hundreds of millions of dollars in recent years. The investigation centers on alleged arrangements in which independent contractors agreed to pay rebates to mutual-fund companies in order to win lucrative contracts for jobs like producing shareholder reports and prospectuses. The probe stems from a $21.4 million settlement the SEC reached last month with Bisys Fund Services Inc., an administrative-services provider owned by Bisys Group Inc.
    Tom Lauricella, "SEC Probes Mutual-Fund Firms After Settlement in Kickback Case," The Wall Street Journal, Page A1, October 26, 2006 --- http://online.wsj.com/article/SB116183087038004278.html?mod=todays_us_page_one

    Question
    Why are mutual funds still rotten to the core?

    "The Soft Dollar Scandal," by Benn Steil, The Wall Street Journal, June 19, 2006; Page A15 --- http://online.wsj.com/article/SB115068121938383835.html?mod=opinion&ojcontent=otep

    The SEC will shortly issue its long-awaited final "interpretive release" on a brokerage industry practice that would make Tony Soprano blush. Known as "soft dollars," the practice involves a broker charging a fund manager commission fees five to 10 times the market rate for a trade execution, in return for which the broker kicks back a substantial portion in the form of "investment-related services" to the manager. Magazines, online services, accounting services, proxy services, office administration, computers, monitors, printers, cables, software, network support, maintenance agreements, entrance fees for resort conferences -- all these things are bought through brokers with soft dollars. And in one of the industry's loveliest ironies, fund managers even pay inflated commissions in return for trading cost measurement services which invariably tell them that their brokers cost too much.

    Why do the fund managers do it? Why don't they buy items directly from their suppliers, and then choose brokers on the basis of lowest trading cost? The reason is clear. If the fund manager buys items directly from the suppliers, he pays with his firm's cash. If he buys them through brokers when executing trades, however, the law, or the SEC, lets him use his clients' cash.

    How widespread is the practice? Some 95% of institutional brokers receive soft dollars, about a third of which were found by the SEC in the late 1990s to be providing illegal services to fund managers, well outside the scope of "investment-related." Surveys find that fund managers routinely choose brokers based on criteria having nothing to do with trade execution.

    How much does this practice cost investors? My own analysis suggests that the cost in bad trading alone amounts to about 70 basis points a year, or about 14 times the estimated cost of the market timing abuses that dominated headlines in 2004.

    The Senate Banking Committee held hearings on soft dollars in March 2004. Chairman Richard Shelby indicated at the time that the SEC would "get more than a nudge" to eliminate clear abuses, defined as services which could not reasonably be held to constitute "research." So what has our champion of investor rights decided to do for us? Punt the ball back to Congress. In its initial guidance last October, expected to be substantially reiterated in the forthcoming final verdict, the commission's long-awaited crack down amounted to little more than a memorandum to fund managers instructing them to read the law, cut out a few egregious abuses (office furniture is a no-no, though resort conferences are still fine), and pay only "reasonable" commissions.

    How does the "reasonable" commission regime work in practice? Put simply, the higher the price tag on the soft-dollar goodies, the more trading the fund manager does with the broker to acquire them, which is clearly antithetical to investor protection.

    To his credit, freshman SEC Chairman Christopher Cox issued a thoughtful statement in advance of last October's guidance, diplomatically describing soft dollars as an "anachronism" -- referring to the politics of unfixing fixed commissions 30 years ago, and Congress's insertion of the Section 28(e) safe harbor into the Exchange Act, allowing client trading commissions to pay for research. But it was under the SEC's watch that the safe harbor ballooned into a safe coastal resort, in which client-financed commission payments have become so generous that a broker for one of the nation's largest fund management companies made the headlines in 2003 by thanking the funds' traders with a lavish dwarf-chucking bachelor party. It is therefore time for Congress and the SEC to stop punting the ball back and forth, and for Congress finally to abolish the "anachronism."

    As a Wall Street Journal reader in good standing, I'm not calling for more rules and market intervention. Quite the opposite. It is in the nature of a government-sanctioned kickback scheme that serial interventions by regulators will be required to pacify the fleeced. This is a simple property rights issue, and treating it sensibly as such would require less government intervention in the future.

    The solution is simple. If a fund manager wants to buy $10,000 worth of research, let him write a check to the provider. That's how you and I would buy it -- we wouldn't expect to get it by making a thousand phone calls through Verizon at 10 times the normal price. There is a legitimate debate over whether the cost of research should be charged to the fund manager, which would then recoup it transparently through the management fee, or deducted directly from the clients' assets.

    The first option was recommended by former Gartmore chairman Paul Myners in his famous 2001 report to the U.K. Treasury. The second would, in any case, be a dramatic improvement on the status quo. If the government did not force funds to buy research through brokers in order to pass the cost on to clients, the SEC's "best execution" requirements, meaningless in a soft-dollar environment, would actually become part of a fund manager's DNA. No longer forced to choose between soft dollars for his firm or good trades for his client, he will finally have an incentive to seek out value-for-money in both research and trading, as it will benefit both his firm and his client.

    What do mutual fund traders think? At a November conference, I surveyed 35 of them anonymously. The majority, 46%, said that fund managers should buy independent research with "hard dollars," out of their own assets rather than those of the investors; 37% backed option two above, paying the providers directly rather than through commissions, which the SEC currently prohibits. A mere 17% supported the status quo, soft dollars. The problem is that fund managers have no incentive to move away from soft dollars while their competitors are legally using them to inflate profits.

    So who actually loses from Congress correcting its mistake? Brokers. But shed no tears for them. Middlemen always lose when kickback schemes are ended.

    Mr. Steil is director of international economics at the Council on Foreign Relations.

    Bob Jensen's "Rotten to the Core" threads are at http://www.trinity.edu/rjensen/FraudRotten.htm


    Open Sharing Catching on Outside the United States
    Britain’s Open University today formally begins its effort to put its course materials and other content online for all the world to use. With its effort, OpenLearn, which is expected to cost $10.6 million and is supported by the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, the university joins Massachusetts Institute of Technology and institutions in several other countries in trying to put tools for learning within the reach of otherwise difficult to reach populations.
    Inside Higher Ed, October 25, 2006

    Bob Jensen's threads on open sharing are at http://www.trinity.edu/rjensen/000aaa/updateee.htm#OKI
     


    Google's Free Download Center (Google Pack Beta) and the New Firefox Upgrade
    Mozilla released a new version of its Firefox web browser that has gained popularity as a free alternative to Microsoft's ubiquitous Internet Explorer software. In the two years since its release by the nonprofit Mozilla Foundation, the Firefox browser has won millions of devotees worldwide.
    The Firefox Two browser made available for download on Tuesday was heralded by the Mountain View, California, organization as a "major update" developed by an "an international community of contributors." "Firefox 2 delivers the best possible online experience for people today," said Mozilla chief executive Mitchell Baker. "The improvements Mozilla has made to the ease of use, performance, and
    security in Firefox 2 reflect our ongoing, singular focus on meeting the needs of Web users all over the world." Localized versions of the browser were available in 35 languages and tailored to work with Windows, Macintosh or Linux computer operating systems, according to Mozilla. The browsers could be downloaded at the website http://www.getfirefox.com.
    Jensen Comment
    I use Firefox and like it (except for the slow downloads of media files). In my new computer I downloaded Firefox using Google's Free Download Center (Google Pack Beta)  (that I highly recommend for downloading software) --- http://pack.google.com/intl/en/pack_installer_new.html?ciNum=6


    A Tale of Two Web Browsers
    A couple of the year's most-anticipated releases -- new versions of Internet Explorer and Firefox -- arrive within a week of one another. So which one is best?
    Michael Calore, "A Tale of Two Web Browsers," Wired News, October 26, 2006 --- http://www.wired.com/news/technology/0,72003-0.html?tw=wn_index_2
    Jensen Comment
    Fortunately it's not an either-or type choice. I prefer to start with Firefox since it is less of interest to Hackers and has more security mainly because of that fact. But when Firefox does not work well, I simply paste the link into IE. It's like having both a sail and a motor for your search boat.

    Updated and improved, Firefox remains excellent but breaks little new ground.
    John Borland, "Firefox 2.0: The Honda Civic of Web Browsers:  Updated and improved, Firefox remains excellent but breaks little new ground," MIT's Technology Review, October 27, 2006 --- http://www.technologyreview.com/read_article.aspx?id=17667&ch=biztech


    A weakness has been discovered in Internet Explorer, which can be exploited by malicious people to conduct phishing attacks.
    The problem is that it's possible to display a popup with a somewhat spoofed address bar where a number of special characters have been appended to the URL. This makes it possible to only display a part of the address bar, which may trick users into performing certain unintended actions. Secunia has constructed a demonstration, which is available at  http://secunia.com/internet_explorer_7_popup_address_bar_spoofing_test/ 
    The weakness is confirmed in Internet Explorer 7 on a fully patched Windows XP SP2 system. Solution: Do not follow links from untrusted sources.
    "Internet Explorer 7 Popup Address Bar Spoofing Weakness," Secunia (Link forwarded by Richard Campbell) --- http://secunia.com/advisories/22542/
    Richard Campbell forwarded this link and says it remains a problem in IE 7.


    "A First Look at Windows Vista:  Microsoft plans to introduce its new operating system to consumers in January. Is it worth upgrading?" by Erika Jonietz, MIT's Technology Review, October 20, 2006 ---
    http://www.technologyreview.com/read_article.aspx?id=17640&ch=infotech

    "You never get a second chance to make a first impression."

    It's a tired saw, quoted in articles on topics from interviewing for jobs to designing websites. But it concisely conveys a basic truth of human nature: we draw conclusions about new experiences, new people, and new things very quickly. My first encounter with Microsoft's new Windows Vista was no exception.

    Last week, I installed the "RC1" version of Vista--officially post-beta but still not yet ready for prime time--on two computers. My experiences on the two machines were quite different, but my overall impression was the same: Microsoft has a long way to go in the next three months if it hopes Vista will revive its image the way that Mac OS X revitalized Apple's.

    Installing Vista on two computers might seem a bit excessive, but the Windows operating system is made for two different kinds of processors: 32-bit and 64-bit. By working with bigger chunks of data, the newer 64-bit processors can better handle intensive tasks such as video editing and playing advanced games. But most desktop and laptop computers in use--and plenty of those on store shelves--have older 32-bit processors, so Microsoft built two versions of Vista.

    I started by installing the 32-bit version of Vista on an older Dell Latitude laptop. While it's possible to upgrade from Windows XP to 32-bit Vista--leaving all of your programs and data intact--I elected to do a clean install. Downloading Vista and burning a bootable DVD was simple, and the installation went smoothly.

    My first reaction: Vista looks slick. The old squared-off windows now have rounded corners. The rectangular "start" button in the lower-left corner of the screen has been supplanted by a spiffy circle with the Windows logo. A transparent rectangle, called the Sidebar, runs down the right side of the screen. The Sidebar holds "gadgets," mini-applications that provide quick access to frequently needed information and tools. Vista comes with 11 such gadgets, 3 of which load the first time you start up: an analog-style clock, a slideshow viewer, and a newsreader with a collection of headlines from MSNBC.com and Microsoft. It's all unquestionably reminiscent of the Dashboard and Widgets in Apple's Mac OS X Tiger.

    Of all the Sidebar applications, the Feed Headlines gadget--which can be customized with your favorite RSS feeds--stands out. Although Apple and the Mac community have created more than 2,300 Widgets to date, I have yet to find an RSS newsreader as flexible as Vista's.

    The new Instant Search feature is also handy but, again, reminiscent of OS X. As with Apple's Spotlight, search boxes appear at the top of every window, making it easy to hunt down the file you're seeking. And searching with Instant Search is both faster and more effective than searching in Windows XP. After copying files from my personal PC to the test laptop, I typed "DNA sequencing" into the search box.

    Continued in article

    Warning
    October 20, 2006 reply from Scott Bonacker [cpas-l@BONACKER.US]

    Accountant's should be aware that Windows Vista and Internet Explorer 7 are not friendly with versions of QuickBooks (and Quicken) prior to 2007.

    See

    http://www.quickbooks.com/helpcenter/IE7ResourceCenter.aspx  and http://msmvps.com/blogs/bradley/archive/2006/10/16/Quickbooks-and-IE7-and-Vista.aspx  

    for some additional information.

    Scott Bonacker, CPA
    Springfield, Missouri


    Inside Teaching from the Carnegie Foundation --- http://gallery.carnegiefoundation.org/insideteaching

    Welcome to Inside Teaching.  This website is designed to support a community of learning, which includes teachers, professional developers, and other educators interested in learning and in teaching.

    Visit collections of multimedia records of teaching practice. Learn from others' perspectives on using records of practice for teacher learning. Contribute your own teaching and learning experiences and browse materials and resources that reflect the larger context of the work featured here. This site itself is an environment of learning, a "living archive" that relies upon the contributions of visitors in order to grow and to thrive.

    This is another reminder for accounting students and/or educators to send in their nominations for the the recipient of the 2007 Innovation in Accounting Education Award. Simple instructions are provided a the American Accounting Association site at --- http://aaahq.org/awards/award6.htm


    Given the shortage of accounting faculty, increasingly accountants from industry are being hired on tenure tracks
    Teaching is once again a career opportunity for practicing accountants

    Business schools are facing a shortage of accounting faculty. While it's a recognized problem -- the AICPA recently granted $25,000 to a program that provides financial aid for senior business leaders who want to transition to university teaching -- there are several misconceptions about what constitutes an academic career. The accounting faculty job market is quite strong and finding a position should not be a problem, according to Gerald DeBusk, CPA, CMA, an assistant professor of accounting at Appalachian State University who entered academia after 17 years of public accounting and industry experience. In this week's Quick Tip, he outlines the general steps that are required to make the move, and debunks the myth that work as a college professor equates to less hours or stress. "The truth is that college professors work hard," says DeBusk, later adding, "There are rewards for teaching that are priceless ... it is a pleasure to be associated with young men and women.
    Gerald K. DeBusk, "Hitting the Books: Transitioning Into Academia," SmartPros, October 2006 --- http://accounting.smartpros.com/x55210.xml
    Jensen Comment
    In the 1960s, new AACSB accreditation rules made it necessary for most accounting faculty to have doctoral degrees. The traditional MBA-CPA credential was not considered "terminally qualified" after these new AACSB rules went into effect. Now in 2006 under more flexible AACSB rules regarding accreditation, we are to some extent returning full circle. Doctoral programs cannot attract enough candidates to meet the shortage of accounting faculty. The Masters-CPA/CMA credential is regaining steam, especially in critical shortage areas of auditing, tax, and AIS. You can read more about the history of this saga at http://www.trinity.edu/rjensen/395wpTAR/Web/TAR395wp.htm

    October 24, 2006 reply from Stokes, Len [stokes@SIENA.EDU]

    Maybe as a discipline, we should also consider such a thing as a Clinical Doctorate, which many of the professional sciences are approaching. This type of doctorate could still contain some research framework but not be as time consuming as the Ph.D.

    October 26, 2006 reply from Bob Jensen

    Shortages of faculty have become so critical in the field of Business Administration that the AACSB initiated a "Bridge Program" to encourage and provide financial aid for business practitioners to enter into doctoral studies --- http://www.aacsb.edu/bridge/default.asp
    Special efforts are being made to recruit women and minority students.

    There are a few business administration doctoral programs (probably not widely known) that are somewhat clinical in nature.
    For example see Pace University's executive doctoral program in business at --- http://appserv.pace.edu/execute/page.cfm?doc_id=14293 

    It is more common in fields outside of business to have "Executive Doctoral Programs," especially in Schools of Education, IT, and Medicine.

    It is even common to have separate tenure tracks in "Practice." For example, the University of Pennsylvania has Practice Professors of Education --- http://www.gse.upenn.edu/faculty/vissa.html 

    Bob Jensen

    October 26, 2006 reply from Mesa, William B. [wmesa@CCU.EDU]

    Case Western Reserve University also has an Executive Doctoral Program where the research framework is Action Research than the traditional positivist approach.

    http://weatherhead.case.edu/edm/ 

    Bill Mesa, D.M., CPA
    Assistant Professor of Management & Accounting
    School of Business and Leadership
    Colorado Christian University Faculty in Organizational Strategy Leadership
    Enterprise in Asian Development Institute Eastern University
    303.963.3306
    wmesa@ccu.edu

     

    October 24, 2006 message from Dan Ward [dward@LOUISIANA.EDU]

    Have any of you faced the decision of hiring an individual with one of the on-line doctorates from a foreign university. The university in question is in France and has AACSB accreditation through the Masters level.

    Many of the faculty are very concerned over the fact that no classes are required - just "research" and a dissertation. In short, we don't feel that the degree is really and earned doctorate in the traditional meaning of the term.

    I would appreciate any feedback you could provide.

    dan

    October 24, 2006 message from CPAS-L@LISTSERV.LOYOLA.EDU

    I recall reading that Fridtjof Nansen received his doctorate based on research.

    > Many of the faculty are very concerned over the fact that no classes
    > are required - just "research" and a dissertation. In short, we don't
    > feel that the degree is really and earned doctorate in the traditional > meaning of the term.

    October 25, 2006 reply from Bob Jensen

    Hi Ron,

    Interestingly, the AACSB that accredits undergraduate and masters degree programs in business and accounting does not accredit doctoral programs. To my knowledge there are no doctoral program accrediting agencies, at least none that are respected in the United States.

    Doctoral programs are forced to ride on their reputations, reputations that in turn depend heavily upon the reputations of the universities that grant the doctoral degrees. It is generally assumed that a respected university will not jeopardize its reputation with any diploma mill doctoral program.

    Although most traditional doctoral programs have some required courses (usually from top research professors) and some elective courses, virtually all traditional doctoral programs have qualification exams that test on scholarship and research skills considered essential by the institution granting the degree.

    If a program waives all coursework and qualifying examinations, much depends upon the research qualifications and reputations of the major professors who must sign off on the candidate's dissertation. If these major professors have no notable reputations for research themselves, the graduates of their doctoral programs will find it difficult to obtain tenure track positions in credible universities.

    There are many diploma mills around the world that will sell doctoral degrees without any effort whatsoever other than coming up with the money to buy the doctorate. It is recommended that job applicants never even mention that they have purchased such phony credentials.

    Those who want phony doctorates from diploma mills can find alternatives at http://www.trinity.edu/rjensen/FraudReporting.htm#DiplomaMill 

    Bob Jensen


    Islamic Accounting --- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islamic_accounting

    The Differences of Conventional and Islamic Accounting --- Click Here (coloring makes this version hard to read)
    The Power Point Version (easier to read) --- http://www.bus.osaka-cu.ac.jp/ja/research/events/seminar040205/sofyan.ppt

    "Islamic Accounting: Challenges, Opportunities and Terror," AccountingWeb, October 5, 2006 --- http://www.accountingweb.com/cgi-bin/item.cgi?id=102651

    Recent events, from the start of Ramadan, to the Pope’s controversial remarks about Islam, to the discovery of a new tape by two of the September 11 attackers, to the release of Bob Woodward’s latest book, have once more made Islam a topic of conversation. Beyond the headlines, however, exists a complex religious and social system that affects far more people than just Muslims. Islamic finance, particularly Islamic banking, insurance and accounting, is playing a growing role around the globe, especially in the business world.

    Islamic accounting is generally defined as an alternative accounting system which aims to provide users with information enabling them to operate businesses and organizations according to Shariah, or Islamic law. With little doubt, the greatest challenges to Islamic accounting and finance in the United States stem from a lack of knowledge and understanding of Islam and the intricacies of its financial laws and concerns regarding terrorism, combined with the U.S. regulatory framework and guiding principles of American business. The Muslim and Islamic financial markets within the U.S. and around the world, currently represent an enormous opportunity for those willing to overcome these challenges.

    Islam & Islamic Financial Laws

    “To professional accountants who have been brought-up on the idea of accounting as an ‘objective’, technical and value-free discipline, the idea of attaching a religious adjective to accounting may seem embarrassing, unprofessional and even dangerous,” Dr. Shahul Hameed bin Mohamed Ibrahim says in Islamic Accounting – A Primer.

    Both conventional and Islamic accounting provide information and define how that information is measured, valued, recorded and communicated. Conventional accounting provides information about economic events and transactions, measuring resources in terms of assets and liabilities, and communicating that information through financial statements users, typically investors, rely on to make decisions regarding their investments. Islamic accounting, however, identifies socio-economic events and transactions measured in both financial and non-financial terms and the information is used to ensure Islamic organizations of all types adhere to Shariah and achieve the socio-economic objectives promoted by Islam. This is not to say, or imply, Islamic accounting is not concerned with money, rather it is not concerned only with money.

    Islamic accounting, in many ways, is more holistic. Shariah prohibits interest-based income or usury and also gambling, so part of what Islamic accounting does is help ensure companies do not harm others while making money and achieve an equitable allocation and distribution of wealth, not just among shareholders of a specific corporation but also among society in general. Of course, as with conventional accounting, this is not always achieved in practice, as an examination of the wide variances in wealth among the populations of Arab nations, particularly those with majority Muslim populations shows.

    In addition, because a significant part of operating within Shariah means delivering on Islam’s socio-economic objectives, Islamic organizations have far wider interests and engage in more diverse activities than their non-Islamic counterparts.

    Concerns About Terrorism

    The diverse activities and interests organizations pursue under Shariah is a cause for concern when applying conventional accounting to Islamic organizations. After all, conventional accounting can be used to disguise unethical and even illegal activities within the very organizations they were intended to provide information about. Imagine how easy it is to overlook or just not identify such information when employing an accounting system not designed for use with the type of organization it is being applied to.

    In the past, the issues raised by this mismatch focused on the ability of users beyond the Muslim world to make appropriate decisions regarding investments. Since September 11, 2001, however, the concern has changed from the potential loss of investment to the possibility of supporting terrorism.

    This concern is particularly significant for non-profit organizations involved in providing humanitarian relief outside the U.S.. Fortunately, the U.S. Department of the Treasury (DoT) has issued updated Anti-Terrorist Financing Guidelines: Voluntary Best Practices for U.S.-based Charities (Guidelines).

    “The abuse of charities by terrorist organizations is a serious and urgent matter, and the Guidelines reinforce the need for the U.S. Government and the charitable sector alike, to keep this challenge at the forefront of our complementary efforts,” Pat O’Brien, Assistant Secretary for the Treasury’s Office of Terrorist Financing and Financial Crime, said in a statement announcing the updated guidelines. The Treasury Department is committed to protecting and enabling legitimate and vital charity worldwide, and will continue to work with the sector to advance our mutual goals.”

    The Guidelines urge charities to take a proactive, risk-based approach to protecting against illicit abuse and are intended to be applied by those charities vulnerable to such abuse, in a manner commensurate with the risks they face and the resources with which they work. At the request of the charitable sector, the Guidelines contain extensive anti-terrorist financing guidance, as well as guidance on sound governance and financial practices that helps prevent the exploitation of charities.

    Regulatory Issues

    The regulatory environment Islamic individuals and organizations are most concerned with, considering the current political climate, are those relating to anti-terrorism and anti-money laundering. Yet the tensions arising from regulatory requirements within the U.S. related to American business practices often prove more difficult to resolve.

    It is in trying to balance the expectations of distinct business cultures that the differences between conventional and Islamic accounting are most notable. For instance, depending upon the type of transactions the organizations are engaged in, the roles, responsibilities and rights assigned to each party can be contradictory and even in direct conflict. In some situations, such as transactions involving private equity, venture capital, profit sharing and liquidations, organizations and individuals employing conventional accounting may actually find they prefer Islamic accounting. Other issues, such as those related to taxation, require significant effort to resolve. The inherent flexibility of Shariah is a benefit under these circumstances, since the complexity of the American tax code is highly inflexible.

    The number of Muslim consumers, investors and business owners has grown along with the Muslim American population which is currently estimated to be between six and seven million. Although demand for Islamic financial products and services has increased, both the supply and the number of providers remain insufficient. It should also be noted that Islamic orthodoxy, expressed as the desire to implement Shariah as the sole legal foundation of a nation, is actually associated with progressive economic principles, including increasing government for the poor, reducing income inequality and increasing government ownership of industries and industries, especially in the poorer nations of the Muslim world.

    “While it is common to associate traditional religious beliefs with conservative political stances on a wide range of issues, this is only partly true,” said Robert V. Robinson, Chancellor’s Professor and chair of Indiana University’s Department of Sociology. “The Islamic orthodox are more conservative on issues having to do with gender, sexuality and the family, but more liberal or left on economic issues.

    Islamic Accounting Web --- http://www.iiu.edu.my/iaw/

    The Islamic Accounting Website is a project of the Department of Accounting, Kulliyah of Economics and Management Sciences, International Islamic University Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur. This project is under the direction of Dr. Shahul Hameed bin Mohamed Ibrahim, Assistant Professor and the current Head of the Department. The philosophy of the University is to Islamize knowledge to solve the crisis in Muslim thinking brought about by the secularization of knowledge and furthermore contributing as a centre of educational excellence to revive the dynamism of the Muslim Ummah in knowledge, learning and the professions. The Department of Accounting is fully committed to this vision and strives to Islamicise Accounting.

    "ISLAMIC ACCOUNTING STANDARDS," by Shadia Rahman --- http://islamic-finance.net/islamic-accounting/acctg5.html

    Sharing site of Dr Shahul Hameed Bin Hj Mohamed Ibrahim --- http://islamic-finance.net/islamic-accounting/

    articles by the author

     

    articles by other scholars

     Forthcoming Articles on Islamic Accounting


    October 20 reply from Adnan Bakather [bakther@YAHOO.COM]

    Dear Prof. Jensen ,

    What is your perception of Islamic accounting ? . Do you think that Islamic accounting may compete with the conventional one ? . Regarding the terror , do think that the link between Islamic accounting and terror can be established ? .

    Adnan A.Bakather

    October 21 reply from Bob Jensen

    Hi Adnon,

    I'm no expert on either Islamic Accounting or terror. Hence my answers should not be viewed as authoritative.

    Islamic Accounting is closer to what we term "stakeholder accounting" in which attempts are made to "account for" impacts of an entity upon various stakeholders in society, including but not limited to investors and creditors. Stakeholder accounting is grand in concept but very difficult to put into practice due to the many intangibles that defy measurement or even analysis qualitatively. I discussed many of these problems years ago in a monograph called Phantasmagoric Accounting, Studies in Accounting Research Volume 14, American Accounting Association --- http://aaahq.org/market/display.cfm?catID=5 

    In other words, stakeholder accounting is grand in purpose but very difficult to put into practice. I suspect that Islamic Accounting is also grand in purpose but very difficult to implement in a global economic world. One of the main problems is breadth of purpose that exceeds the tools and information needed to meaningfully account to each stakeholder group. For example, trying to account for the cost of pollution or global warming of one factory upon society is virtually impossible to measure if there are millions of interacting factories, vehicles, natural phenomenon (such as methane bubbling up from the oceans and tundras), homes, and even burps from cattle (no joke) contributing to the same global pollution. There are also many interactions (called externalities in economic theory) of causes that greatly complicate the accounting.

    At the financial level, Islamic Accounting has not addressed the thousands upon thousands of contracts that take place daily. Hence we cannot go to Islamic Accounting for answers on how to account for derivative financial instruments and hedge accounting, structured financing, synthetic and other complex leases, and intangibles. Islamic Accounting has not addressed the complex world of financial contracting to the extent that it has been addressed over centuries of conventional accounting. Islamic Accounting developed in a much simpler world of finance.

    Perhaps the world should return to a simpler world of contracting that would make Islamic Accounting more suited to the world of finance. It is, however, naïve to assume that any accounting and reporting practices are going to magically overcome the really complex and intractable issues of stakeholder accounting in a complex world of externalities and interacting causal factors of individual persons and firms in the global aggregation of such causal factors.

    As far as terrorism goes, I suspect the problem of tracing terrorist funding is one of having the appropriate internal controls in place all along the funding trail. This would seem to be a problem for any type of accounting system, although some accounting systems may work under more difficult constraints than others, e.g., systems that attempt to protect privacy greatly constrain accountability in law and finance. Accountancy and law are much more unrestrained in Big Brother's system conceived by George Orwell --- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Brother 

    Terror on a global scale will lead us closer and closer to an Orwellian way of life out of desperation. The issue is not one of Islamic versus Conventional Accounting. The issue is one of Privacy versus Transparency Controls in all behavior, including financial contracting. At the moment no accounting system works very well against governmental or private sector corruption. The question is whether we want Big Brother to move in to end the corruption. In the United States we cannot even get campaign financing reform because the foxes in Washington DC are guarding both the hen houses and cold cash freezers.

    But our accounting systems are good enough to force our elected officials to hide their stolen loot in their freezers. That's why we call it cold cash. By the way, the first thing Big Brother would do to end corruption, money laundering, and terrorism financing is to do away with all cash and anything resembling cash such as bearer bonds. If all financing leaves electronic tracks, Big Brother can put internal controls in place to virtually end corruption, money laundering, and terrorism financing.  However, in the U.S., hell will freeze over before Congress votes to eliminate cash.

    Bob Jensen

    See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Brother

    Bob Jensen's threads on accounting theory are at http://www.trinity.edu/rjensen//theory/00overview/theory01.htm


    From Scientific AmericanPoliticians caught on Internet candid cameras
    http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?chanID=sa001&articleID=51681A7C14879F9ECA39669DF858F75B


    "Armey: 'Parochial' GOP Has 'Compromised' Agenda," NPR, October 16, 2006 --- http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=6264356
     




    October 17, 2006 message from David Fordham, James Madison University [fordhadr@JMU.EDU]

    Now that Bob Jensen is a rural-dweller, I figured he and others ought to be aware of this danger.

    I figure it's only a matter of time until a new FASB exposure draft is issued covering the accounting treatment for these losses. Given that it might be impacting national security, even Congress might get involved. Only one question remains: Why hasn't the Wall Street Journal picked up on this yet? Maybe they are losing their touch. This certainly tops most of their front page stories, both in factuality and importance.

    See: http://www.cowabductions.com 

    After running the video, scroll through the 9+ pages of supplemental evidence and come to your own conclusion.

    David Fordham
    Neighbor of a cattle farm

    October 20, 2006 reply from Bob Jensen

    Hi David,

    Up here we still hang cow and horse thieves with trials.

    My neighbor down the road has some cute little shaggy Scottish cows.

     


    Shoplifters Go High Tech:  Theft Rings Alter Bar Codes
    Just as technology has given a big boost to the retail industry, making it more efficient and productive, it has also transformed retail crime. Using sophisticated tactics such as bar-code forgery and fraudulent gift cards, criminals are stealing larger amounts, and it has gotten harder to catch them. Law-enforcement officers say many of the high-tech thieves belong to organized-crime rings that have turned retail theft into big business. And the Internet has made it easier for them to find buyers for the loot. Retail crime rose to about $37 billion in 2005 from $31 billion in 2003, according to a study conducted by the University of Florida, increasing almost twice as fast as retail sales over that period. Store employees, who have access to merchandise and familiarity with antitheft systems