Big Brother redux

William Safire's must-read column today reprises the reporting John Markoff did last week on the government's plans for a master database of personal information. You thought online marketers were bad? Admiral John Poindexter (of Iran-contra scandal fame) is spearheading a plan -- it's currently a part of the Homeland Security Act, which is seemingly on the verge of passage into law -- for "Total Information Awareness," a centralized federal spy database with dossiers on every U.S. citizen. It's significant that the outcry against this plan is hailing not just from the left but from civil-libertarian conservatives like Safire. Safire, of course, served as a speechwriter in the Nixon White House, where routine abuse of FBI files on American citizens was the order of the day. That era's rampant and hideous misuse of government surveillance for private political ends should stand as a reminder of the perils in Poindexter's plan. (Different Strings has posts on this issue here and here, as well.) [Scott Rosenberg's Links & Comment]

The case of the confusing bookstore

It takes the skills of a great detective to find the best mysteries among the new releases. Our critic offers his list of some recent gems. (Salon)

A long time ago, I always enjoyed reading mystery novels.  These days, I read almost no fiction, and almost nothing in printed form.  (it's too hard for me to turn the pages) The only one among my friends who I know for sure is an avid mystery fan, is Craig.  This list is especially for him. I don't know any of these authors, so I hope it's worth a damn.