Wednesday, August 27, 2003

Postwar Deaths of U.S. Troops in Iraq Exceed Combat Toll A total of 141 American soldiers died from May 1 to today, compared with 137 from March 19 to April 30, according to a spokesman at Central Command at McDill Air Force Base in Florida. Of the total since May 1, 63 Americans were killed in action and 78 died in nonhostile incidents, the spokesman, Lieut. Ryan Fitzgerald, said. The total number of American deaths since March 19 are 175 killed in action and 103 from nonhostile action, Lieutenant Fitzgerald added. Later, Central Command said a Fourth Infantry Division soldier died in a traffic accident on Monday, bringing the tally of nonhostile deaths to 104. 5:39:04 PM

US Sinks in Sea of Red Ink Congressional Deficit Estimate May Exceed a Half-Trillion The Congressional Budget Office has already alerted lawmakers that it will try two different approaches in estimating those costs, which are currently running at about $4.9 billion a month, just under $60 billion a year. The first method will assume no special war costs at all, because existing laws make no allowance for spending in Iraq beyond this fiscal year. Nobody suggests that this approach is realistic, but it complies with the Congressional Budget Office's legal requirement to base estimates only on existing laws. The Budget and Economic Outlook: An Update-August 2003 Estimate for '04 Deficit Is Increased to $480 Billion The federal government is in store for at least eight more years of budget deficits, including a record $480 billion shortfall in 2004, congressional budget analysts said Tuesday. The Congressional Budget Office also warned that the numbers will become more dire if the White House gets its way on tax cuts and Congress fails to rein in spending. They said the budget outlook ``has worsened substantially'' since its last review in March, when it put next year's deficit at $200 billion. Much of that is the result of subsequent acts of Congress to cut taxes and increase spending for defense and the war in Iraq, it said. The CBO, a nonpartisan group, said the budget will edge back into the black in 2012 and 2013, but will record an accumulated deficit of almost $1.4 trillion in the 2004-2013 period. In March, it predicted a surplus of $891 billion in that period. Democrats seized on the report as proof that the Bush administration policy of cutting taxes while demanding more for defense and homeland security was threatening the nation's economic viability. "I think this is a moral problem more than an economic problem,'' said Rep. John Spratt of South Carolina, top Democrat on the House Budget Committee. He said the administration was draining the government's ability to pay for Social Security and Medicare at a time when 77 million baby boomers are approaching retirement, while saddling future generations with repayment of a national debt that could double to $7 trillion by 2013. 12:42:16 PM

Report finds EPA lacked data to support its claims for relaxing air pollution rules Congressional investigators say the Environmental Protection Agency relied on anecdotes from industries it regulates, not comprehensive data, when it claimed that relaxing air pollution rules for industrial plants would cut emissions and reduce health risks. Sen. James Jeffords, I-Vt., the No. 2 senator on the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, said the report was another indication that the Bush administration's weakening of the Clean Air Act was unwarranted. "This report should be the final nail in the coffin of environmental credibility for this administration," he said. 12:23:55 PM

Sunday, August 24, 2003

When is Enough Enough? NEWSWEEK POLL: AMERICAN'S GROWING CONCERNS OVER IRAQ MISSION For the first time since the question was initially asked last fall Americans say we[base ']re spending too much in Iraq with too little to show for it. And with the 2004 campaign season approaching, Bush is losing ground. 1:18:57 PM

Friday, August 22, 2003

Draft of Air Rule Is Said to Exempt Many Old Plants. A new Bush administration regulation would allow thousands of older oil and power facilities to make extensive upgrades without having to install new antipollution devices. By Katharine Q. Seelye. [New York Times: NYT HomePage] NO, NO, NO! Expect to see more of this type of lunatic legislation during the presidential campaign. This is pure payoff for campaign contributions. The really bad and offensive legislation won't appear until after Bush gets re-elected. The Bastards! 6:07:48 PM

Wednesday, August 20, 2003

The Zachman Framework for Enterprise Architecture. In the 1980s, an IBM researcher named John Zachman wrote a paper entitled "A Framework for Information Systems Architecture" and gave birth to the ideas around Enterprise Architecture. Zachman's framework is a table with columns that relate to the what (data), how (function), where (network), who (people), when (time or schedule) and why (motivation or strategy) aspects of the architecture and rows that walk down the scope continuum: Context (partners), Business Model (owners), System Model (designer), Technology Model (builder) and Detailed Representations (subcontractor). [Windley's Enterprise Computing Weblog] 7:14:37 AM

Wednesday, July 30, 2003

I did not want to be a collaborator Isam al-Khafaji, a former member of the Iraqi reconstruction council, explains his decision to resign On July 9, with deep sorrow, I submitted my resignation as a member of the Iraqi Reconstruction and Development Council to US deputy secretary of defence Paul Wolfowitz. I did this with great sadness but, in doing so, I was able to leave Iraq with a clear conscience. If I had stayed any longer, I might not have been able to say that. I feared my role with the reconstruction council was sliding from what I had originally envisioned - working with allies in a democratic fashion - to collaborating with occupying forces. 8:07:45 AM

Saturday, July 26, 2003

Why Outsource When Workers are Willing to Telecommute? Great SlashDot discussion with strongly held points of view. 10:10:42 AM

Tuesday, July 22, 2003

Crow Makes Hook to Get Food When you see another species making and using tools you should take time out to think about the garden we humans have in our custody. See the movie 6:00:24 PM

Saddam's Sons Killed in Iraq Uday and Qusay Were Top Targets of the U.S. Military. The commander of allied forces in Iraq announced the deaths hours after an attack by American soldiers destroyed a house that the two sons were seen running into. By Neil Macfarquhar. [New York Times: NYT HomePage] 5:17:16 PM

John Robb's Back Well what do you know? The very next day after I take down John Robb's link on iSee iSay I find out that he's back online with his blog. No big deal just a quick little edit of the iSee iSay template and the John Robb link is restored and updated to his new URL. I'm glad you're back John. There is still so much to do in the blogosphere. 5:06:53 PM