It looks like McCain’s presidential bid is coming to an end. His chief strategist and his campiagn manager have both resigned. Even the guy who has co-authored 5 books with him has left his campaign. It is rumored that none of the three left amicably from the campaign. It was definitely interesting to see one of the most beloved republican senators turn traitor and self-destruct.

McCain Campaign Suffers Key Shake-Ups

By LIZ SIDOTI
The Associated Press
Wednesday, July 11, 2007; 4:03 AM

WASHINGTON — John McCain jettisoned his two top aides Tuesday as the one-time Republican front-runner struggled to right a presidential bid in deep financial and political trouble.

Campaign manager Terry Nelson and chief strategist John Weaver offered McCain their resignations, which the Arizona senator accepted with “regret and deep gratitude for their dedication, hard work and friendship.”

At least three other senior aides followed the two out the door, and the campaign announced that Rick Davis, who managed McCain’s 2000 bid and has served as the current campaign’s chief executive officer, will take over.

…

The White House is similarly showing signs of implosion. A Senate appropriations committee has refused the Vice President’s office’s request for more funding until they hand over the subponeaed documents. (And yes, the Vice President’s office is part of the executive branch, regardless of what Dick Cheney would like to believe).

U.S. Senate panel moves to cut off funding for Cheney in flap with Dems over executive order

The Associated Press
Published: July 10, 2007

WASHINGTON: Senate Democrats moved Tuesday to cut off funding for U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney’s office in a continuing battle over whether he must comply with national security disclosure rules.

A Senate appropriations panel chaired by Democratic Sen. Richard Durbin refused to fund $4.8 million in the vice president’s budget until Cheney’s office complies with parts of an executive order governing its handling of classified information.

…

I haven’t blogged for a while due to a massive amount of work, but I expect to blog more now that I’m caught up.

It seems like the white house is now in a quite a serious bind. President Bush has once again cited executive privilege and refuse to turn over documents subpoenaed by Congress. This time though, the head of the senate Judiciary Commitee, Senator Patrick Leahy, has suggested that he is willing to press criminal contempt charges against Bush.

Incidentally, there is also a bill floating around Congress to impeach Vice President Dick Cheney. Why this bill has gotten absolutely no media coverage is beyond me.

Blacked Out by the Corporate Media, Impeachment Advances
by Dave Lindorff | Jul 1 2007 – 9:55am

The corporate media are disgracing themselves even further, if that is possible, on the impeachment story.

On Thursday, three more members of Congress signed on to Rep. Dennis Kucinich’s bill to impeach Vice President Dick Cheney (H Res 333), bringing the total number of co-sponsors of the bill to 10. That in itself would be national news, but there is more to it than simple numbers. The new sponsors include two freshman, Minnesota Rep. Keith Ellison, who ran for office calling for impeachment, and Hank Johnson, who took over the seat of pro-impeachment Rep. Cynthia McKinney (McKinney filed her own bill of impeachment against President Bush in the waning days of the last Congress), but the group also includes Rep. Jim McDermott (D-WA).

…

The White House is practically an insane asylum at this point, the better question is why hasn’t everyone been impeached yet. Apparently in Japan, the public is so outraged with a pension scandal that the prime minister was forced to give up his bonus and take responsibility for the blunder. If only we in the US could hold our own government to such high standards.

Japan PM Abe’s support rate stuck near danger zone

…

Abe, who faces his first major electoral test in a July 29 upper house poll, is trying to soothe voter outrage over mismanaged pension records, but the Nikkei said its survey showed he has failed to do so.

Disapproval of Abe’s cabinet stood at 52 percent, up 8 points from May, according to the telephone survey conducted from Friday to Sunday among 898 voters, the Nikkei said.

The government has come under fire after revelations that no proper record was kept of millions of pension premium payments, meaning some retirees could be short-changed.

Abe will return 2.34 million yen ($18,890) of his summer bonus of 5.36 million yen to take responsibility for the pensions issue, chief cabinet secretary Yasuhisa Shiozaki told a news conference.

…

Now, for a random but interesting graph:

As reported from Slashdot and BBC, Advanced Access Content System (AACS), the maker of HD-DVD’s encryption scheme has declared war on the blogging community.

It all started when AACS’s HD-DVD encryption was cracked and the compromised key began leaking onto the web. Instead of perfecting their technology, AACS decided to pressure various websites (including the tremendously popular digg) to remove the offending key. The online community revolted and the compromised key soon appeared all over the web.

09 F9 11 02 9D 74 E3 5B D8 41 56 C5 63 56 88 C0

Now AACS is promising legal and technical recourse for EVERYONE who posts the above key. (Read BBC’s account here, and slashdot’s account here). Hey, if they want a war, we’ll give them a war.

What is kind of amusing and sad about all of this is that an unrevokable crack has already been developed by the good folks over at doom9. Read more about it here.

I am storongly against DRM technology in general, and as these implementations become more and more draconian, it’ll only be a matter of time before the general public revolts too.

I spent a few hours today reading Next by Michael Crichton.  Though Next was not particularly well written, it is remarkably thought-provoking.  Under the guise of a novel, Crichton attempts to show the potentially disasterous consequences of current US policies on the future of biomedical research.  The Author’s notes highlight broadly the five issues that he tackles:

• Patent on Genes
• Use of Human Tissues
• Availability of Gene Testing Data
• Government interference on research
• The Bayh-Dole Act

With one of his other works Prey, I became very excited about Cellular Automata and its potential ability to explain many of nature’s greatest mysteries.  With Next, on the other hand, I became genuinely scared and disturbed with the future of biotechnology.  The increasingly commercialized atmosphere (i.e. greed) that now pervades all the major research institutions in the US is especially troubling.  The large majority of engineers and medical scientists now finish their training without having taken a single course in ethics.  Yet, these same institutions are racing to combine the all-mighty MBA with all forms of other degrees.

I have always believed very strongly in the concept of social responsibility.  Every entity, ranging from the individual to global corporations has an obligation to contribute positively towards society.  However, with so many of tomorrow’s potential leaders oblivious about the potential repurcussions of their actions, how can we expect them to guide us?

Via Sara at Orcinus (read at Geoff’s blog):

I’ve been saying for a long while now that the power to end the Intelligent Design fiasco, firmly and finally and with but a single word, rests in the manicured hands of the chancellors of America’s top universities. The message is short and simple: “Teach what you like, it’s all fine with us. But if you put ID in your science courses, we will not accept those courses as adequate for admission to our campus.”

…

In a story that seems to have gotten almost no attention outside the local area, the University of California — the nation’s largest university system (motto: Fiat Lux, or “let there be light”) — has been engaged in a legal battle with Calvary Chapel Christian School over the question of what is an acceptable science education, and what rights a university has when it comes to drawing those lines.

While various school boards around the country continue to start small skirmishes over the merits of intelligent design, it is nice to finally see a university take a firm stand in such matters. It is very frustrating, and indeed quite maddening to watch so many institutions capitulate to the mere possibility of bad publicity. Whatever happened to standing up for one’s principles?

It is truly sad to see Americans holding Corporate America to higher standards of transparency and accountability than their own government. Acts such as Sarbanes-Oxley passed in 2002 greatly increased the civil and criminal penalties for executives who knowingly lie (or fail to properly disclose relevant information) to their shareholders. Yet, the current administration is busy exculpating themselves and pulling the wool over our eyes?

From digg and the LA Times, Cheney visit ruling appealed.

WASHINGTON — The Bush administration asked an appeals court Wednesday to overrule a federal judge and allow the White House to keep secret any records of visitors to Vice President Dick Cheney’s residence and office.

From Carl’s blog and ThinkProgress, John McCain’s War On Blogs.

Now he has introduced legislation that would treat blogs like Internet service providers and hold them responsible for all activity in the comments sections and user profiles. Some highlights of the legislation:

– Commercial websites and personal blogs “would be required to report illegal images or videos posted by their users or pay fines of up to $300,000.”

– Internet service providers (ISPs) are already required to issue such reports, but under McCain’s legislation, bloggers with comment sections may face “even stiffer penalties” than ISPs.

With so much political posturing coming from the current administration, one would have hoped that their copious free time is a result of their extremely high productivity. Unfortunately, the complete opposite is true.

From the Christian Science Monitor, This do-nothing Congress did all the wrong things.

At 4:35 a.m. last Saturday, Sen. Bill Frist performed his last act as majority leader. To the handful of members still there, he announced the adjournment of the 109th Congress “sine die” – that is, forever – leaving behind the most unproductive session in recent history. Congress has been in session only 103 days this year, compared with 110 for President Truman’s “do-nothing Congress.”

It did not perform its most basic constitutional duty – to vote the appropriations necessary to run the government. Of 11 departmental appropriations, it had managed to pass only two – defense and homeland security. The rest of the government was left to limp along on a stopgap resolution that was constantly in danger of expiring – the next deadline is Feb. 15.

Other countries riot over this sort of duplicity, where is America’s infamous moral outrage?

From the BBC:

Some 10,000 US researchers have signed a statement protesting about political interference in the scientific process.

The statement, which includes the backing of 52 Nobel Laureates, demands a restoration of scientific integrity in government policy.

According to the American Union of Concerned Scientists, data is being misrepresented for political reasons.

This makes manipulating statistics seem like child play.

UPDATE: Clearly, the Bush administration has no intention of changing its course.

From Live Science, White House Tightens Publishing Rules for USGS Scientists.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Bush administration is clamping down on scientists at the U.S. Geological Survey, who study everything from caribou mating to global warming, subjecting them to controls on research that might go against official policy.

New rules require screening of all facts and interpretations by agency scientists. The rules apply to all scientific papers and other public documents, even minor reports or prepared talks, according to documents obtained by The Associated Press.

Tomorrow is November 7th 2006, a critical day in the American political landscape. Millions of Americans across the nation will go to their respective voting sites and decide the new balance of power in Congress. Due to the possibility that Democrats might take back both the Senate and the House from the Republicans, this election cycle has been especially scandal filled. Let’s take a look at all the great stuff our politicans have been up to in the last 6 months:

• Fraud (Nov 6th) – Voting Fraud (Slashdot discussion here)
• The NRCC (National Republican Congressional Committee) hired Conquest Communications Group to conduct a massive nationwide robocalling campaign with calls specifically scripted to appear as if they’re coming from the Democratic candidate.
• Iraq (Nov 5th) – Saddam Sentenced (BBC Story here)
• Saddam Hussein has been found guilty of crimes against humanity and sentenced to death by an Iraqi court for his part in the killing of 148 Shia Muslims in Dujail in 1982.
• Iraq (Nov 3rd) – Neo Culpa (Vanity Fair Story here)
• Led by Richard Perle and Kenneth Adelman, the war’s neoconservative architects blast the Bush administration for what even they call the “disaster” in Iraq.
• Middle East (Nov 3rd) – Six Arab States enters nuclear arm race (TimesOnline Story here)
• The spectre of a nuclear race in the Middle East was raised yesterday when six Arab states (Algeria, Egypt, Morocco, Tunisia, UAE and Saudi Arabia) announced that they were embarking on programmes to master atomic technology.
• Gay Marriage (Nov 3rd) – Ted Haggard Impodes (BBC Story here)
• The leader of the 30-million-member National Association of Evangelicals in the US has resigned after being accused of paying for sex with a man.
• Electronic Voting (Nov 2nd) – HBO’s Hacking Democracy (Google video here)
• A new HBO documentary exposes the vulnerability of electronic voting machines. The film follows investigative journalist Bev Harris as she investigates the security and accuracy of electronic voting systems.
• Electronic Voting (Oct 30th) – Venezuelan ties to voting machine firm (BBC Story here)
• A US supplier of voting machines has agreed to a probe into its takeover, saying it will dispel “baseless” allegations about ties to Venezuela.
• Stem Cell Research (Oct 25th) – Rush Limbaugh attacks Michael J. Fox (Washington Post Story here)
• Conservative radio talk show host Rush Limbaugh yesterday attacked actor Michael J. Fox, who suffers from Parkinson’s disease, for inserting his voice into the U.S. Senate campaign in Missouri. Limbaugh suggested that Fox was “acting” in a commercial where he’s shown shaking while endorsing the importance of stem cell research.
• Iraq (Oct 13th) – British troop withdrawal (BBC Story here)
• The presence of UK armed forces in Iraq “exacerbates the security problems” and they should “get out some time soon”, the head of the British Army has said.
• Fraud (Oct 13th) – Bob Ney pleads guilty to bribery (BBC Story here)
• A senior Republican congressman linked to disgraced former lobbyist Jack Abramoff has pleaded guilty to bribery charges in Washington.
• Iraq (Oct 11th) – Hopkins Death Toll Study (BBC Story here)
• An estimated 655,000 Iraqis have died since 2003 who might still be alive but for the US-led invasion, according to a survey by a US university.
• N. Korea (Oct 9th) – North Korea conduct nuke test (Washington Post Story here)
• The White House pushed yesterday for aggressive new sanctions on North Korea, including measures to limit trade in military and luxury items, as Pyongyang’s claim that it conducted an underground nuclear test defied the administration’s efforts to stop the spread of weapons of mass destruction.
• Fraud (Sep 29th) – Mark Foley quits over minors scandal (Washington Post Story here)
• Six-term Rep. Mark Foley (R-Fla.) resigned yesterday amid reports that he had sent sexually explicit Internet messages to at least one underage male former page.
• Betrayal (August 9th) – Lieberman loses democratic primary (BBC Story here)
• Mr Lieberman’s opponent, political novice Ned Lamont – who was unknown six months ago – campaigned hard on an anti-war platform and became the first man in decades to beat an incumbent senator in a primary race.
• Net Neutrality (June 9th) – Net neutrality defeated (BBC Story here)
• US politicians have rejected attempts to enshrine the principle of net neutrality in legislation.

Keep in mind, these are only the issues I can remember off-hand!

GO VOTE PEOPLE.

It’s always interesting to see what the rest of the world is willing to do for things that are often taken for granted in the United States.  If you ever think about dropping out of school, look at what these teens are willing to do just to get into one!

Faking Attacks in Order to Graduate

Correspondent Haggai Huberman reports on a new phenomenon among the Arabs of Judea and Samaria: Youths carry knives or small bombs across checkpoints in order to get themselves arrested so that they can study for high school matriculation exams at the State of Israel’s expense.

Sitting in jail for a number of weeks or months is a small price to pay, and the returns are significant: A high school diploma, and a high social standing as a “freed terrorist.”

Huberman notes that earlier this week, IDF soldiers reported that they had thwarted an attack in the northern Shomron when they arrested two 19-year-old boys carrying two pipebombs of one kilogram (2.2 lbs.) each. However, the IDF later concluded that the boys were merely trying to get arrested for the purpose of matriculation exams, and that the pipebombs were not designed to cause significant damage.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Kids who are turned off by math often say they don’t enjoy it, they aren’t good at it and they see little point in it. Who knew that could be a formula for success?

The nations with the best scores have the least happy, least confident math students, says a study by the Brookings Institution’s Brown Center on Education Policy.

Countries reporting higher levels of enjoyment and confidence among math students don’t do as well in the subject, the study suggests. The results for the United States hover around the middle of the pack, both in terms of enjoyment and in test scores.

In essence, happiness is overrated, says study author Tom Loveless.

Click HERE for CNN’s full reporting.