We could write all day about the FBI: The FBI lab has once again been exposed for making incompetent investigations and inaccurate testimonies.Technicians working on DNA analysis, blood evidence, and the analysis of bullets were found to have seriously violated scientific procedure. Hundreds of cases seem to be involved.

In response, we get headlines like "Ashcroft, senators offer plans to investigate FBI". You just have to love what a tangled web they've woven.

In response to an ongoing investigation targeting specific hacker groups, the Portuguese hacker group F0rpaxe promises to hack more federal web sites. Tit for tat.

In other news from the Justice department, the FBI announced that it had interviewed almost 11,000 Iraqis living in the United States and had found no spies.

War, what is it good for? It has been widely reported that Bechtel Corporation was awarded a $680 million contract for rebuilding power, water, sewer systems, schools, and transportation links in Iraq. Bechtel is closely tied to the conservative Republican wing and administrations of Reagan and Bush the first. George Shultz, former Secretary of State is a director.

War, what is it bad for? Privacy concerns, both personal and corporate. The government is attempting to get business to "voluntarily" donate sensitive infrastructure data to allow them to "investigate possible weaknesses". The Procedures for Handling Critical Infrastructure Information detail the plans for safeguarding the information, which involves "a secure container, such as a locked desk or file cabinet." Great.

Wild West Blue Yonder: The first wave of major airline pilots completed a brief training program in firearm usage. Their weapons, presumably to defend themselves against hijackers, might well be aimed at American Airline executives. In an outstanding con game, the leading executives voted themselves fat bonuses and retirement packages. The six top execs doubled their salaries for the next three years and a supplemental retirement package was given to 45 others. While this was taking place, secretly of course, management was calling on the various unions to accept major cutbacks in salaries as great as 23 percent, some benefits, and the loss of at least 2,000 jobs. benefits. The unions are reconsidering their votes as American threatens filing Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.

Seoul Mates: North Korea dropped its demand that the US engage in one-to-one negotiations and declared its willingness to work at multinational talks about its nuclear program. At the same time, the Seoul government announced that it was reprocessing 8,000 spent fuel rods which would enable them to construct six nuclear bombs.

Unfair housing: Housing discrimination claims increased by 7 percent this year reaching 25,000 reported cases according to a report of the National Fair Housing Alliance.

Heaps of Hate: The Soutern Povery Law Center's Intelligence Project released its annual report this week documenting 708 active hate groups in the country in 2002. In Maryland, they listed 12 groups. The SPLC also offers an interesting tutorial on spotting discriminatory reporting, and writing to avoid it.

I Dream of Genes (with the light brown hair): The Human Genome Project announced that it had mapped over 3 billion units of DNA. This mapping of human genetic instructions will form the basis of geonomic medicine, a radical shift in the paradigm of medical treatment. Surprisingly, however, they also discovered that we have far fewer genes than we expected to find. Interesting to note that you, personally, differ only .1% from that guy you can't stand.