May 30, 2002

"We can state with absolute certainty that no computer in the world can access the data on this disc," said spokesman Brett Campbell. "We are also confident that no-one is going to be able to produce pirate copies in this format without going to a heck of a lot of trouble. This is without doubt the best anti-piracy invention the music industry has ever seen."  [ urbanreflex.com  ] Very clever. 11:37:13 AM

MEMRI has published sections of the doctoral dissertation of Abu Mazzen (real name Mahmoud Abbas), the Secretary-General of the PLO Executive Committee (who is considered second to Yasser Arafat). In the introduction to his 1984 study, Abu Mazen referred to well-known Holocaust deniers, raised doubts that gas chambers were used for extermination of Jews, and claimed that the number of Jews murdered in the Holocaust might be "even less than a million." Abu Mazen claimed that the Zionist movement had a stake in convincing world public opinion that the number of victims was high; thus, it would achieve "greater gains" after the war when the time came to "distribute the spoils." They say that liars often accuse others of the types of things that they themselves would do.  A familiar example is when a person accuses a spouse of cheating on them when they themselves have transgressed. This may help to explain the Jenin "massacre." And while you are at MEMRI, check out this story about a brave Iranian dissident.  [Patio Pundit] 8:45:04 AM

Israel Arrests 3 Palestinians During West Bank Incursion. Israeli troops seized three Palestinians in a pre-dawn raid today in Hebron, the latest in a series of incursions intended to pre-empt Palestinian attacks. By The Associated Press. [Headlines From The NY Times] 8:18:20 AM

A former Arthur Andersen LLP auditor testified yesterday that he directed his team to keep all documents related to audits for Portland General Electric, an Enron Corp. subsidiary. When an auditor NOT shredding documents becomes news, I get worried.  Know what I mean? 7:04:01 AM

Courtesy EPIC• Enlarge image An internal FBI memo obtained by the Electronic Privacy Information Center through a Freedom of Information Act. FBI Analysis: We Don't Compute The FBI -- whose recent bungles, from McVeigh to Moussaoui, have cast it in the unenviable role of national klutz -- is "reorganizing" itself, and much of the refashioning will focus on improving the bureau's antiquated computer systems. FBI director Robert Mueller on Wednesday described an organization that is "years behind where it should be in terms of having the technological infrastructure." Changing that, he said, involves "not just getting the computers on board, the hard drives; it means everybody from top to bottom becoming facile with the computer, understanding the computer and understanding how technology can assist us to do our job better." [Wired News] 6:45:01 AM