Propaganda' bill nixed in House

PETER URBAN purban@ctpost.com

WASHINGTON — House Republicans Wednesday soundly rejected an effort by Democrats to ban the Department of Education from spending money on "covert propaganda."

The House voted 224 to 197 against a measure, championed by Reps. Rosa DeLauro, D-3, and George Miller, D-Calif., aimed at blocking the department from creating sham news stories or hiring columnists to promote policies.
http://www.connpost.com/news/ci_2709446
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DHS chief floats idea of collecting private citizens' information
By Siobhan Gorman, National Journal

Call it Total Information Awareness, homeland-style.

Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff this week floated an idea to start a nonprofit group that would collect information on private citizens, flag suspicious activity, and send names of suspicious people to his department.
http://www.govexec.com/dailyfed/0405/042905nj1.htm
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Safety Stops Draw Doubts
D.C. Police Gather Nonviolators' Data

Lisa Davis had done nothing wrong. She was wearing a seat belt, was obeying the speed limit and produced a valid driver's license when D.C. police pulled her over one recent night at a traffic safety checkpoint in a crime-plagued neighborhood.

Even so, an officer jotted down some basic information before letting her go, including her name, address and the time and location of the stop for a police database used for crime solving.

"I've got some serious constitutional issues with that," Davis said as she sat in her idling Acura at the checkpoint

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/05/01/AR2005050100848.html
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Pentagon Seeks Greater Immunity from Freedom of Information Act
by Michelle Chen

Dismissing the Freedom of Information Act as a hindrance to protecting national security, the military is asking Congress for more authority to withhold information from the public -- a move critics consider a leap on the slippery slope of secrecy

http://newstandardnews.net/content/index.cfm/items/1781
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Neocons Lay Siege to the Ivory Towers

In the months ahead, the state Senate Committee on Education will consider a bill that pretends to strike a blow for intellectual honesty, truth and freedom, but in reality poses a profound threat to academic freedom in the United States.

http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/opinion/la-oe-makdisi4may04,1,1436422.story?coll=la-home-home&ctrack=2&cset=true
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even england is hoping on the train, I guess having cameras everywhere just isnt enough...
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Microphones to catch noisy neighbours
By Mark Prigg, Science Correspondent, Evening Standard

Noisy neighbours have become a scourge of modern life, resulting in stress, sleepless nights and even violence.

Now Westminster Council hopes a new wireless microphone could help tackle the problem.
http://www.thisislondon.com/news/articles/18329652?source=Evening%20Standard
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