Approaching 300 Million In U.S.

Come October, Baby Will Make 300 Million or So - New York Times:

As of yesterday, the Census Bureau officially pegged the resident population of the United States at closing in on 297,900,000. The bureau estimates that with a baby being born every 8 seconds, someone dying every 12 seconds and the nation gaining an immigrant every 31 seconds on average, the population is growing by one person every 14 seconds.

At that rate, the total is expected to top 300 million late this year. But with those projections adjusted monthly and the number of births typically peaking during the summer, the benchmark is likely to be reached about nine months from now.

So, a baby conceived now might be the 300,000,000th. No way to prove it, though.

At Least He's Honest

My Way News:

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) - One gubernatorial candidate in Minnesota is giving a whole new meaning to the 'dark side' of politics. A man who calls himself a satanic priest plans to run for governor on a 13-point platform that includes the public impaling of terrorists at the state Capitol building.

Jonathon Sharkey, also known as 'The Impaler', plans to launch his gubernatorial campaign on - when else? - Friday the 13th. He'll make the announcement in Princeton.

'I'm going to be totally open and honest,' said the 41-year-old leader of the 'Vampyres, Witches and Pagans Party.'

'Unlike other candidates, I'm not going to hide my evil side,' he said.

Townhall.com :: Columns :: With friends like Jack... by Kathleen Parker - Jan 7, 2006

Townhall.com :: Columns :: With friends like Jack... by Kathleen Parker - Jan 7, 2006:
"What’s clear is that however the Republican Party tries to spin it, this is a huge deal, and it’s primarily a huge Republican deal. It’s also becoming increasingly clear that the ripple effects of Abramoff’s corruption could alter the political landscape come the midterm elections and possibly far into the future."

With Findings on Storms, Centrist Recasts Warming Debate - New York Times

With Findings on Storms, Centrist Recasts Warming Debate - New York Times:
"It's always struck me as odd that this country hasn't put far more resources into research on alternative energy. Europeans are. France has managed to go 85 percent nuclear in its electrical generation. And the Europeans have gotten together to fund a major nuclear fusion project. It almost offends my pride as a U.S. scientist that we've fallen down so badly in this competition."

Yeah, but BushCo doesn't like most alternatives to oil. Just ain't practicable. And a lot of Americans don't want to see windmills or solar panels near their homes or parks. Me, I think they're beautiful. Let's not forget that oil fuels the coffers of the terrorists as well.

Get Fooled Again?

My Way News:

WASHINGTON (AP) - Rep. Roy Blunt and the man he wants to succeed as House majority leader, Tom DeLay, shared similar connections to convicted lobbyist Jack Abramoff and to corporate lobbyists.

Blunt, R-Mo., wrote at least three letters helpful to Abramoff clients while collecting money from them. He swapped donations between his and DeLay's political groups, ultimately enriching the Missouri political campaign of his son Matt.

And Blunt's wife and another son, Andrew, lobby for many of the same companies that donate to the lawmaker's political efforts.

Here's another one, just like the other one. It would appear the Republicans are going to have to go deep on the bench to find someone "clean" enough to avoid the ethics patrol (if not prison). It took them, what, four tries to find a "pure" enough sub for Gingrich? Then, they couldn't find anyone who hadn't had an affair (darn adulterers) while they were roasting Clinton for the same. Now, I think, it will be even harder to find someone who isn't on the take, since that is the traditional Republican vice. Good luck!

Open Source Intelligence

CBS News | Secret Information In Plain Sight | January 10, 2006 23:03:59:

In an agency of spies, the notion that intelligence doesn't have to be stolen to be valuable takes some getting used to.

'One of the challenges that I have is to change the culture to value open sources more,' Jardines says.

Jardines acknowledges that the traditional attitude throughout the agency is that if information was not stolen, it cannot be valuable.

'That's very much the old attitude,' he says.

Intelligence is still a job of connecting the dots, but more and more of those dots are hiding in plain sight.

And most of this type of intelligence gathering is legal, though something tells me these guys don't need to "register" for a look at what's available. Jeez! The porn collection alone must be staggering!

An Elbow In Big Brother's Ribs