Weird computer architectures

Quantum computing is getting quite the buzz, but there are other bizarre computer architectures bubbling and buzzing away in research laboratories. New Scientist compiled a survey of the "Ten Weirdest Computers," from reversible chips that recover energy usually lost with each operation, to magnetic (NMR) computing that leverages the dynamics of molecular interactions, to slime mold computers. From New Scientist:

Toshiyuki Nakagaki at the Institute of Physical and Chemical Research in Nagoya, Japan, has shown that slime mould can work out the shortest route through a maze.

In his experiments, the masses of independent amoeba-like cells that act as a single organism would initially spread out to explore all the possible paths of a maze.

But when one train of cells found the shortest path to some food hidden at the maze's exit the rest of the mass stopped exploring. The slime mould then withdrew from the dead end routes and followed the direct path to the food.

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Corporate-sponsored spying on green groups

Mother Jones has published an investigation of Beckett Brown International (later called S2i), a private security firm that the report claims was paid by corporate client to spy on Greenpeace, the Center for Food Safety, and other environmental concerns. Run by former spooks, the company allegedly employed police to help dig through garbage seeking intelligence on groups that may have included the National Environmental Trust, the Center for Food Safety, the Environmental Media Services, and others. Beckett Brown International dissolved in 2001. From Mother Jones:

According to company documents provided to Mother Jones by a former investor in the firm, this security outfit collected confidential internal records—donor lists, detailed financial statements, the Social Security numbers of staff members, strategy memos—from these organizations and produced intelligence reports for public relations firms and major corporations involved in environmental controversies.

In addition to focusing on environmentalists, the firm, Beckett Brown International (later called S2i), provided a range of services to a host of clients. According to its billing records, BBI engaged in "intelligence collection" for Allied Waste; it conducted background checks and performed due diligence for the Carlyle Group, the Washington-based investment firm; it provided "protective services" for the National Rifle Association; it handled "crisis management" for the Gallo wine company and for Pirelli; it made sure that the Louis Dreyfus Group, the commodities firm, was not being bugged; it engaged in "information collection" for Wal-Mart; it conducted background checks for Patricia Duff, a Democratic Party fundraiser then involved in a divorce with billionaire Ronald Perelman; and for Mary Kay, BBI mounted "surveillance," and vetted Gayle Gaston, a top executive at the cosmetics company (and mother of actress Robin Wright Penn), retaining an expert to conduct a psychological assessment of her. Also listed as clients in BBI records: Halliburton and Monsanto.

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"Aftershock" or Shockwave? What Comes After the Next Bear Wave

Etoile Brilliant submits:

Now that we have seen that the Fed will act as the lender of last resort for all and sundry (regardless, in the case of Bear Stearns (BSC), whether they have paid their dues or not), pundits have been scrambling for their dictionary looking for words that describe the next bear wave driven by the consumer downturn and the resulting loss of earnings.

Read more »

Case-study of Magnatune: CC-licensed, podcaster-friendly successful record label

Michael Holloway from the Open Rights Group conducted a fantastic, in-depth business-analysis of Magnatune, the open/free commercial record label that uses free, Creative Commons licensed music to sell commercial licenses. Magnatune has blazed a lot of new trail -- especially in "secondary" genres like classical (Magnatune has experienced 20 percent annual growth in classical sales at a time when industry-wide classical sales have fallen 90 percent).

Magnatune's most popular genre by far — with 30% of sales — is classical, followed by new age, electronica and rock, which represent around 10% of sales each. The classical market is in serious decline: In 1980, classical recordings comprised 20% of the industry's revenue, which dropped to 2% by 2000, and to 0.75% in 2006. Yet Magnatune has seen 20% growth annually since autumn 2003.

John recognises that obscurity is a musician's biggest hurdle, and his innovative approach to overcoming it is to provide 'open music', which is "shareable, available in 'source code' form, allows derivative works and is free of cost for non-commercial use."

Shareable: Users are invited to share their purchased tracks with up to three friends, can listen to the entire catalogue for free via the website's 128kbps streams, and can download any song as a 128kbps MP3 file.

Available as 'source code': Ten per cent of the catalogue is also available in its component parts, e.g. scores, lyrics, MIDI files, samples or track-by-track audio files.

Derivative works: The CC licence used by Magnatune explicitly permits users to make derivative works - such as remixes, cover songs and sampling - for non-commercial purposes, which is further facilitated by the provision of the 'source code'.

Free for non-commercial use: Users can download songs for non-commercial projects, such as a home video soundtrack or compilation album intended for family or friends.

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Orlando-area people raise monkey as surrogate kids -- "monkids"

The Orlando Sentinel has an article and video about empty-nesters who buy monkeys and raise them as surrogate children.

Many self-described "monkey people" don't dare call them pets. They are playfully referred to as "monkids" and reared in a world of pierced ears, monogrammed clothes, a seat at the dinner table and their own bedrooms.

At Gemini Springs in DeBary recently, Johnson pushed "Jessy" around in a toy-filled red stroller, a sight that drew attention. "Hey, it's a real monkey," hollered one youngster, who did a double take.

Johnson replied with a grin: "That's not a monkey; that's my kid."

Link

Legal troubles for Spitzer?

CNN's Campbell Brown talks with her panel about what legal problems may be ahead for Gov. Spitzer after his resignation.

Lou Dobbs: Political table

Lou Dobbs talks with his roundtable about the resignation of Geraldine Ferraro from the Clinton campaign.

AC360-Ferraro resignation

Anderson Cooper talks with his guests about the impact of Geraldine Ferraro's resignation from the Clinton campaign.

Road Warrior: Lance Smith

CMT host Lance Smith never leaves home without gadgets, humor and an extra pair of underwear.

Beat 360

Viewers compete with our staff to pick the funniest caption to a picture from today's news.

360 Shot: Oldest Marathoner

This 101-year-old man can run marathons and throw back a few.

Larry King: Power and scandal

Larry King talks with his panel about the Spitzer scandal. What was he thinking, and what will happen next?

More Fallon fallout

The White House insists Adm. Fallon's departure isn't to quash dissent on military policy. CNN's Jamie McIntyre reports.

Politics and prostitution

CNN's Carol Costello examines the anger among some groups that so many politicos think prostitution is OK.

A market migraine

CNN's Todd Benjamin explains what's worrying investors.

Non-doms to pay $60,000 in UK

Robert Miller of the Daily Telegraph in London on a tax for rich foreigners living in London.

Tibet protest quashed

Indian authorities and Tibetan exiles clashed during a protest march against China's rule, as CNN's Brian Rokus reports.

Suicide bombing in Kabul

Read full story for latest details.

Iraq's wounded amputees

A quarter of Iraq's wounded are amputees. CNN's Arwa Damon spends the day with one father who lost his legs.

Anderson Cooper 360 Daily Podcast

Anderson Cooper 360 Daily features highlights from CNN's premiere nightly news program.

Tibetan marchers stopped

Indian authorities have detained more than 100 Tibetan exiles marching from Northern India to Tibet's border.

Gay teen in limbo

A gay Iranian teenager is waiting to hear if he'll be sent home to face possible execution. CNN's Alphonso Van Marsh reports.

Olympics tied to Tibet protest

Tibetan monks and protestors clash with police. CNN's Sara Sidner reports.

World News Now

Your immediate world news headlines.

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Five Practical Moves to Help You Outrun Inflation

by Jennifer Openshaw

Rising health-care and education costs have topped the headlines for years. We're getting used to paying more at the pump. But recent figures show rising prices hitting closer to home. Higher commodity costs are driving prices for food, clothing and other basic necessities.

Sure, we've gotten our breaks. Electronics have been getting cheaper for years. The China effect has held prices steady for lots of manufactured goods, including clothing. And the housing market -- well, you could say that housing is getting cheaper, but that only helps those lucky few in the market today.

Inflation happens slowly -- an increase here, and increase there, and suddenly your finances fall behind the curve. If you spend $50,000 a year excluding housing payments, a 4% annual inflation rate suggests your expenses will rise by some $2,000.

Your income may keep up, but it's hard to count on that. I say it's time to aim high -- to figure out how to save at least $1,000 this year. Not to pay down debt, put in savings or improve our lifestyles -- but to stay ahead of the inflation monster.

Five ways to save a grand:

The following five practical suggestions can save $1,000 apiece:

1. Don't "obey your thirst." At least, not all the time. The cost of beverages, in all forms, adds up. Wine, soda, beer, even bottled water are expensive at home, not to mention at restaurants. Order drinks with free refills, or drink ice water. At home, try a filtered water pitcher or learn to drink juices, especially from concentrate. One friend of mine quaffed two 12-packs of soda a week -- $12 or so considering redemption values -- and quit when his kids started to follow suit. He switched to lime juice with great success. Without much sacrifice, I think you can save $20 a week on beverages -- at home, at restaurants, or some combination of the two. I can hardly think of an easier way to save a grand.

2. Put your cars in "econo-drive." Energy prices send no clearer message than it's time to cut back on driving. Put differently: gas prices are part of the problem, but how much we drive is usually the other problem. Learn how to combine trips and think of alternatives to trips, like putting kids on school busses instead of driving them to school (which will train them to ride the bus too). Or challenge yourself and your family to make one day a week car-free. Save 2,000 miles a year -- which isn't so much for an average family driving 25,000-30,000 miles. I think the IRS reimbursement of 50.5 cents/mile is pretty close to actual cost, so that'll save the $1,000. And your cars will last longer.

3. Thrift-shop for those threads. According to the latest Bureau of Labor Statistics inflation report, overall apparel costs rose for the first time since 1998. What do you do? Naturally, buying fewer clothes and shopping for enduring value is part of it. But consignment and thrift shops are great places to get good stuff, even fancy designer names. Lately, consignment stores have acquired new stock as people turn their extras into a little cash. It's fun. A friend of mine checks out the consignment stores when she travels -- it gives her more to choose from and something to do.

4. Do you own work. That is, the housework, indoor or outdoor. Mow your own lawn and save maybe $40 to $60 a month. It's good exercise, too. Learn to paint walls or cut hair. I mean, don't get silly -- if you can't iron a shirt, don't iron shirts. If you can't reach the drain plug, don't change your oil. But I bet you can find at least a couple of things you can do yourself, and it's a satisfying feeling.

5. Suspend services you don't need. Seems obvious, but I bet you have a few you've forgotten about or are hanging on to for obscure just-in-case reasons. Still have that old dial-up account? How about the "premium" cable or satellite package? Or those "hot" domain names they keep asking you to renew. Do you really need them still? Could that pest control be done every other month instead of monthly?

Some perspective

The point isn't to turn into a miserable miser -- the point is to prepare for the inevitable. Good financial management implies always planning ahead.

And if today's inflationary monster turns out to be more growl than bite, or if your income keeps up with inflation on its own, so much the better. You'll have $1,000 extra to spend on something you want -- or to prepare for the next financial storm. Either way, it's a good thing.

Why banking sucks

David Bledin, ex-banker, now author and MBA student, on why he wouldn't go back into banking if you paid him.

I've just started an MBA programme and it's amazing the number of people coming from non-banking industries who have somehow managed to maintain a startling innocence regarding the Street – despite the bleak stories they must have soaked up from their acquaintances. They seem to focus on that starting salary and rationalize away everything else – they tell themselves it will only be a few years before they'll have racked up enough bonus pay to buy an achingly sophisticated loft in Soho and subsist on a steady diet of yellow-tail sashimi.

I'm here to tell you that if you don't think your life is going to be miserable as an investment banker, then you're wrong. Here's a short guide to set you straight.

Don't think you'll remain unscathed.

You will not be the exception to the rule, the golden child who will remain untarnished by the industry. History will repeat itself, as it has since the founding of the House of Morgan: you will get a receding hairline, you will hate your Blackberry, you will tremble every time your phone rings, you will spend the occasional evening curled up under your desk.

Never forget that as a freshly minted analyst or associate, you are viewed by everybody senior to you as nothing more than a spreadsheet-laden donkey, somebody to crank out endless PowerPoint piecharts and not ask too many questions. And remember that your bosses were once in your shoes, too, so don't expect any sympathy. It's the vicious cycle of abuse, and you're at the nexus of it.

Don't think you won't become bitter.

Your first week on the job, you'll be bragging to all your non-profit buddies about your $30 dinner allowance, your company car transport, and your shared assistant. A month later, you'll actually be nauseated by the sight of another prime rib, leaking its juice onto your mousepad and ready to expand your waist size even further since you don't have time to hit the gym. You'll be ashamed that you know more about your company car driver's domestic turmoils than you do about the upheavals in your own family. And you'll soon realize that your incompetent assistant is only there to make your life more miserable than it already is, sending out the wrong conference call numbers and printing out the wrong reports and getting much better Christmas presents than you ever will.

Don't think the work will be interesting enough to warrant the all-nighters.

Let me introduce you to comps. Right now the word sounds innocent enough, but it won't be long before the mere utterance of it will elicit night sweats and dilated pupils. Dealing with comps involves the meticulous and very time-consuming – even for Harvard grads – computation of endless financial ratios and multiples. Even once you eventually graduate to Excel modelling, it won't be long before yet another circular reference will make you want to commit hara-kiri with your staple remover.

Don't believe that any of your new relationships are genuinely sincere.

When I first started in the M&A department at my bank, I was trapped in a cubicle next to a guy who was nicknamed the Star. The Star was an Excel powerhouse, a guy who could shoulder the workload of three lesser analysts and still maintain the disposition of a Buddha. Everybody would constantly sing his praises, except for our head of HR, who was too removed from the actual workflow to recognize the Star's supernatural abilities and passed him up for a promotion to the associate level. Any one of the senior guys in our department could have stepped up to the plate and fought for the Star's promotion, yet nobody rose to the task. The senior guys were all too self-absorbed to genuinely care about the fate of their underlings. The Star skulked back to b-school and was replaced by a former marketing guy who had never seen an Excel spreadsheet in his life.

Just accept the fact that you're doing it for the money, and it will help dull the pain.

You will be miserable as an investment banker, but heh, you'll also be flush with cash. I've been out of banking for a few years now and my heart still hurts when I hear the bonus numbers from my friends who stuck around in the industry. While I'm taking out loans to pay for my MBA, they're putting down 50% deposits on million-dollar brownstones.

So here's a piece of advice: every time you've had a really horrible day at the office, go out and buy yourself an Hermès tie. If you're going to need a noose, it might as well be a fashionable one.

David Bledin is a banker turned MBA student and author of Bank: A Novel.

Good and Honest Personal Insurance Advice

1. How much life insurance do I need?

It depends on your personal circumstances. If you have dependents, you should aim to insure for 5 to 10 years of your earnings. If you have accumulated savings, the insurance cover can be reduced by this amount.

For example, if you earn $40,000 a year, you should have life insurance for $200,000 to $400,000. If you have accumulated savings of $50,000, this can be reduced from the amount of your insurance.

As a minimum, you should insure for 5 years of earning. If you are able to afford it, you can increase your coverage to 10 years of earning.

The sum assured is payable on death and permanent total disability.

2. What type of life insurance should I buy?

You should buy decreasing term insurance that covers you up to your retirement age, say 65 years.

If you are now 35 years old, you can buy a decreasing term insurance to cover you for 30 years.

If your sum assured is $300,000, you will be covered for $300,000 during the first year. The sum assured will reduce by $10,000 for each subsequent year, until it disappears completely at the end of 30 years.

The reduction in the sum assured each year will be offset by your savings for the year. As your savings grows, you need less coverage for your life insurance.

The premium that you pay for decreasing term insurance is about 50% of the cost of level term insurance. It is about 20% of the cost of a whole life insurance.

By paying a lower premium for your decreasing term insurance, you have more money to save in a low cost investment fund to earn a higher return for your future needs.

3. Do I need medical insurance?

If your employer covers your medical expenses, you do not need any personal medical insurance.

If you wish to buy a personal insurance now, so that you are assured of continuing coverage after your retire from work, you should choose a low cost Medishield plan provided by the Central Provident Fund.

There are many Shield plans in the market. They cover different classes of wards in restructured and private hospitals.

In selecting your plan, you should consider the total lifetime cost. You should add the premium for the various ages from now until you reach age 85 years. As the premium rate increases with age, you must take the higher cost into account, when you select your plan.

There is no need for you to buy an expensive plan, unless you have a high income. If you enter into a subsidised ward, your medical expenses will be quite affordable and can be covered by Medishield or a lower priced private Shield plan.

Do not spend too much premium on your Shield plan when you are young. You need the savings to cover your insurance premium and medical expenses when you grow old.

The Shield plan has a Deductible and a co-insurance portion, which have to be paid by you. Some insurance company offer a rider to cover these items. As the amounts are not large, you do not need to buy the rider. You can pay them from your Medisave account.

4. How much should I spend on insurance?

You should spend not more than 2% of your earnings on the life and medical insurance on your life. If you include your family, you should spend not more than 3% of your earnings.

By spending less on insurance, you can set aside more savings for your retirement. This should be 10% to 15% of your earnings.

5. Do I need to insure against critical illness?

There is no need to buy insurance to cover critical illness. Your Medishield or private Shield plan can cover most of the medical expenses.

The chance of making a critical illness claim is small. Less than 5% of people make this claim during their working life.

If you wish to have insurance to provide a cash payment, a sum of $50,000 should be adequate. The cost of critical illness cover is high. You should not spend too much premium on this risk, as the return is poor.

6. Do I need insurance for the whole of life?

You need insurance to take care of your dependents, if you are the breadwinner. If premature death or permanent disability occurs, the life insurance will pay a cash sum to take care of their future needs.

When you retire from work, there is no loss of future earnings. You do not need life insurance to cover this risk, as there is no financial loss.

You are likely to have accumulated sufficient savings to take care of yourself and your spouse.

You need insurance only to provide for the financial needs of your dependents. If you retire from work, your children are likely to be grown up and able to take care of their own financial needs.

There is no need for life insurance beyond age 65.

7. Why does the insurance adviser recommend a few insurance plans that take up more than 10% of my earnings?

These insurance plans provide a combination of protection and savings and give you a return on your insurance premiums.

The insurance adviser earns a commission based on the amount of premium that you pay. They wish to sell you as much insurance as possible, so that they can earn more commission.

It is better for you to buy decreasing term insurance and to invest your savings in a low cost investment fund. You can get a higher return by separating the insurance from your investment.

8. Sample Premium Rates

Whole life – covers death and permanent disability for a lifetime

Living – covers death, permanent disability and critical illness for a lifetime

Term – covers death and permanent disability during the selected term

Decreasing term – like term insurance, but sum assured reduces each year

Living benefit – covers death, permanent disability and critical illness during the selected term.

Monthly premium for $50,000 sum assured

Male Age 20 25 30 35 Whole life $62.00 $71.50 $84.00 $99.50 Living $76.00 $89.50 $106.50 $129.00 20 yrs term $6.10 $6.60 $7.95 $10.70 20 yrs decreasing term $4.60 $4.70 $5.30 $6.95 20 yrs living benefit $8.85 $11.30 $16.20 $24.70
Female Age 20 25 30 35 Whole life $57.00 $65.50 $76.50 $89.50 Living $69.50 $81.00 $96.00 $115.00 20 yrs term $4.75 $5.35 $6.45 $8.25 20 yrs decreasing term $3.85 $3.95 $4.35 $5.45 20 yrs living benefit $8.40 $10.45 $15.05 $23.85

Monthly premium for $100,000 sum assured

Male Age 20 25 30 35 Protection $121.50 $140.50 $165.50 $196.50 Living $149.50 $176.50 $210.50 $255.50 20 yrs term $9.70 $10.70 $13.40 $18.90 20 yrs decreasing term $6.70 $6.90 $8.10 $11.40 20 yrs living benefit $15.20 $20.10 $29.90 $46.90
Female Age 20 25 30 35 Protection $111.50 $128.50 $150.50 $176.50 Living $136.50 $159.50 $189.50 $227.50 20 yrs term $7.00 $8.20 $10.40 $14.00 20 yrs decreasing term $5.20 $5.40 $6.20 $8.40 20 yrs living benefit $14.30 $18.40 $27.60 $45.20

Postal Spying

Law enforcement requests for postal info granted

By Kevin Johnson, USA TODAY

WASHINGTON — U.S. postal authorities have approved more than 10,000 law enforcement requests to record names, addresses and other information from the outside of letters and packages of suspected criminals every year since 1998, according to U.S. Postal Inspection Service data.

In each of those years, officials approved more than 97% of requests to record the information during criminal inquiries. In 2004, 2005 and 2006, the most recent year provided, officials granted at least 99.5% of requests, according to partial responses to inquiries filed by USA TODAY under the Freedom of Information Act.

Postal officials have closely guarded the warrantless surveillance mail program, used for decades to track fugitives and to interrupt the delivery of illegal drugs or other controlled substances such as explosives. In other government surveillance, such as most wiretap programs, a judge approves requests. In this one, the USPIS' chief inspector has authority to grant or deny a request.

The Postal Service handles 214 billion pieces of mail each year. Correspondence and packages transported by private carriers, such as FedEx and UPS, are not subject to the surveillance.

When the government's warrantless surveillance of electronic communication has come under fire, civil liberties advocates say, the USPIS' limited disclosure raises serious questions. "The idea of the government tracking that amount of mail is quite alarming," says Jameel Jaffer, director of the American Civil Liberties Union's national security project. "When you realize that (the figure) does not include national security matters, the numbers are even more alarming."

Postal officials would not disclose the volume of mail monitored in national security investigations. Because those include terror-related inquiries, the figures do not show whether the Sept. 11 attacks influenced requests or approvals.

In a Feb. 8 response to requests for information, inspection service counsel Anthony Alverno wrote that even revealing the frequency of the surveillance would undermine its effectiveness "to the detriment of the government's national security interests."

Postal officials also would not discuss how much mail is being opened for content examinations, which do require a warrant authorized by a judge.

USPIS spokesman Douglas Bem described the surveillance program as "one of many tools" available to investigators. "Regulations are in place that serve to protect the general population from illegal and unlawful intrusions," Bem says. A 1978 federal appeals court decision upheld the use of such surveillance.

Each request to monitor a sender's mail can cover multiple letters and packages by the same suspects. Bem said the government does not track the total pieces of mail captured in the monitoring program.

Signing statement may have allowed mail to be opened

There's reason to believe more mail may be being opened, as well.

In late 2006, a signing statement issued by President Bush suggested that his office had expanded executive branch power to open mail without a warrant.

The signing statement accompanied H.R. 6407, the Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act of 2006, which reiterated a prohibition on opening first class mail without a warrant.

"In 1996, the postal regulations were altered to permit the opening of First Class mail without a warrant in narrowly defined cases where the Postal Inspector believes there is a credible threat that the package contains dangerous material like bombs," the ACLU said in a press release at the time. "Instead of referencing the narrow exception in the postal regulations, the president's signing statement suggests that he is assuming broader authority to open mail without a warrant."

In January 2007, the ACLU and Center for National Security Studies filed a Freedom of Information Act request seeking information regarding any additional warrantless mail surveillance.

How can this possibly be legal. How can a President simply attach notes to a law excluding himself from the law. This is going to be just like internet monitoring. I guarantee you that every piece of mail that flows through the U.S. Postal Service is fully scanned and that the sender and receiver are recorded.

U.S. Constitution: Fourth Amendment

The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.

February Recap

February sucked…that's about it.

The month started off with the cabin getting robbed and ended Friday with me getting rear ended at a stop light. The creamy center was filled with shit as well the starter went out on the truck, fighting with the land lord over heat, and huge relationship problems that very nearly had me living on my own. These are now all resolved but with great effort.

My list of things to complete was untouched. I wanted to store back a years worth of food, put the land in a trust and pay taxes on the cabin. I at least got the taxes paid. I completely abandoned living off the survival foods I have stored but started back up again on the first. Four trips to the cabin in February, beefed up security and much higher than expected heating bills didn't help the cash savings effort either.

In March I was going to upgrade the power system at the cabin but that will have to wait until I move to the site full time. To risky without living on site. Instead I will work on food storage issues and look into a diesel heater for the cabin.

The moving date is still set for the end of June. Just a reminder this blog is about my prep work to move into a simpler off grid lifestyle. I am working to leave the consumerist existence behind.

I will also get back into the habit of blogging everyday even when I have absolutely nothing of relevance to say to the world. I had a little over 8000 visitors to the site in February…Thanks everyone and stay out of trouble

Police Surveillance

It was Friday around noon and I had to fill that beast of a truck up. So I went to the 7-11 pulled up at the pumps and went in to prepay for one hundred and twenty in gas. I stood there cussing at the oil companies as the gas flowed into the two tanks. It was only one fifteen so I went back in to get my change.

Day or night there are usually a couple of patrol cars parked in the lot watching the intersection for people running the red light, or so I thought. As I walked back out to the truck I noticed a patrol car had pulled in front of my vehicle blocking it. The policeman was out running his hand along the license plate.

As I approached he told me that they had no information at all on this tag…nothing the tag didn't exist. I told him that I had just gotten it the day before and that it probably was not in the system yet. He told me that does not happen and that the system updates immediately.

So I showed him my drivers licenses and registration, both of course in order. As he studied them I asked what I had done wrong that warranted him running my plates through the system. He angrily shoved my papers back into my hand and told me to "mind your own damn business". He stomped back to his car, sat blocking me for a few more minutes, then pulled out of the way.

When I was growing up the police were there to protect and serve. I remember them helping people with flat tires, mom used to tell me that if I was ever lost to go find a police man. Now they are simply tools for the machine, spying on and intimidating law abiding citizens. Quite frankly if I had kids I would tell them to avoid the police at all cost…don't even make eye contact, they can't be trusted.

Early Saturday morning I went back into the store to talk with the manager. I told him that I would no longer do business with him if he continued being a front for police surveillance. At the very least he needed to put a sign in the window warning the shoppers of this unwarranted activity. He said there was nothing he could do and that it was corporate policy to try and attract police to the locations. It cut down on crime.

To hell with the people rights to be secure in their papers and possessions, corporate profits come first.

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