NewsMax(1) columnist, Charles R. Smith (softwar.net(2)), detailed Chinese espionage successes against the US which he has chronicled in his book Deception(3). He described how China's nuclear program went from fledgling to state of the art within eight years based on acquiring technology from American companies. China's long range plan, he said, is to overtake the U.S. militarily and economically by 2015-2020, and eventually assert global domination.
Smith also spoke about electronic privacy and cyberterrorism. He expressed concerns over some of Google's latest software which he said might allow hackers to gain access to information on user's hard drives. There are three levels of cyberterrorism he said: amateur, professional/criminal and military. China has an army of "information warriors," numbering between 6,000 to 7,000, many of whom have visited the U.S. to observe our security systems, Smith claimed.

1. http://www.newsmax.com/pundits/bios/Smith-bio.shtml
2. http://www.softwar.net
3. http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0976116804/ctoc

The Forgetting Pill

A drug called Propranolol is being tested to help to block traumatic memories. It's said to work by suppressing the action of stress hormones that imprint memories in the brain. Proponents of the medication feel it has promising uses in treating patients with post-traumatic stress disorder, though some ethicists fear that tinkering with memories could damage a person's core identity. Read more in this article(1) by Rob Stein.

1. http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2002067754_memory20.html

Bumper Music

Bumper music from Wednesday October 20, 2004