The Commerce Department has lost 1,137 laptop computers since 2001, most of them assigned to the Census Bureau, officials said Thursday night.
The Census Bureau, the main collector of information about Americans, lost 672 computers. Of those, 246 contained some personal data, the department said in a statement. However, no personal information from any of the missing computers has been known to have been improperly used, the department said.
The number of people affected by the equipment losses could not be determined, the department said. The review was prompted by congressional and public inquiries.
"All of the equipment that was lost or stolen contained protections to prevent a breach of personal information," Commerce Secretary Carlos M. Gutierrez said in a statement. "The amount of missing computers is high, but fortunately, the vulnerability for data misuse is low."
More than 30,000 laptops were used within the department's 15 operating unit since 2001, the department said, and a total of 1,137 were stolen or missing.
Fifteen handheld devices used to record survey data for testing processes in preparation for the 2010 Census also were lost, the department said. The department was in the process of contacting the 558 households with data recorded on the missing devices, although because of encryption technology, the risk of data misuse was considered low, it said.
A half-dozen other federal agencies or departments have reported data thefts and security breaches involving personal information in the last six months.
The Veterans Affairs Department suffered the biggest loss with the theft in May of a laptop and external drive containing information for 26.5 million veterans and active-duty troops. Burglars stole the equipment from the home of a Veterans Affairs employee, but the computer was later recovered and showed no signs of having been accessed for the personal data.
Other government departments reporting the loss of computers with personal information include the departments of Agriculture, Defense, Education, Energy, Health and Human Services and Transportation. The Federal Trade Commission also has lost laptops with sensitive data.
In the case of the Commerce Department, second only to the Census Bureau in missing laptops was the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. It reported 325 missing laptops, three of them containing personal data.
Among those stolen was one used by a NOAA law enforcement agent and containing some case file information. In July, a laptop containing Social Security numbers and other information on 146 employees and contractors was reported stolen after a fire in a NOAA facility in Seattle, the department said.
Gutierrez said the department was taking steps to protect against further missing laptops or potential breaches of personal identity data. Among them were inventory reforms, including creating a database for all departmental property, and "raising employee accountability standards."
"This review process has clearly pointed out the flaws in the department's inventory and accountability efforts going back many years," Gutierrez said. "We are viewing this process with the spirit of actively rooting out the problems and addressing them immediately."
NEW YORK - Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez met with Harlem's underprivileged on Thursday to tout a discounted heating oil program, a day after he triggered an uproar with his speech at the United Nations attacking President Bush. It was Chavez's second trip to New York. But while his visit to the Bronx last year passed largely unnoticed, Harlem was teeming with U.S. media on Thursday in the wake of Chavez's now-infamous United Nations reference to Bush as "the devil."
Chavez didn't moderate his tone on Thursday, saying of Bush, "He's an alcoholic and a sick man."
Chavez had few allies after his U.N. speech. House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi, one of Bush's sharpest critics, called the Venezuelan leader "an everyday thug." Rep. Charles Rangel, D-N.Y., who represents Harlem, said in videotaped comments: "We resent the fact that he would come to the United States and criticize President Bush. ... You don't come into my country, you don't come into my congressional district, and you don't condemn my president."
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Posted by: Fred ||
09/22/2006 00:00 ||
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#2
Heating oil = NOT NUKES??? FREEREPUBLIC.com > YONHAP NEW > Richard Armitage = NORTH KOREA MIGHT conduct a nuclear test within a year or less; WND.com > Egypt's Mubarak = Egypt wants nuclear energy; ZAMANINTERNATIONAL.com > US planning war scenarios against Iran starting on or after October 1st, 2006; NERI > Iran to conduct nuclear weapon test in a year or less.
LOOK LIKE HUGO IS THE ONLY ONE THREATENING DUBYA + ATTACK AMERICA = AMERIKA WID HEATING OIL!?
#3
Oh man, I don't even know where to begin! A target rich environment for snarking if there ever was one! Perhaps there should be a contest, and this article could be used as bait . . . . :-)
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
09/22/2006 6:21 Comments ||
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#5
Chavez keeps saying that the US is trying to depose him or kill him. If the US were trying to do that, why would he still be alive? Surely anyone but him would see that.
Posted by: Eric Jablow ||
09/22/2006 7:07 Comments ||
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#6
Actor Danny Glover introduced Chavez as "a very visionary man".
Sure, Hugo, I'll show you around. Not like I'm doing much these days...
#7
Visionary? More like delusional. Bunch of them seeing the same hallucination at the same time.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
09/22/2006 11:12 Comments ||
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#8
Lincoln once said that if America was ever to be destroyed, it would be from the enemy within, not from without. Glover and his ilk are a case in point. They are ENEMIES of the United States, and ought to be considered as such.
#9
I was with Glover at a movie shoot a couple of weeks ago. They are going to use our remote weapon system in the film. Didn't talk to the man. But he did happen to walk in front of the system and I did track him in the crosshairs. No weapon on the system at the time, but it did give me a warm feeling. I saw him on TV say that "Hugo is my brother". Commie scuz bag.
#11
I hope people are reading beyond his insults to Bush. This is not just about Bush. It is about bring down America's economic power throughout the world. In his rant, he mentioned that the "empire" will be destroyed by the end of this century. At home, destroying America is the cornerstone of his speech.
FOREIGN Minister Alexander Downer has warned his Iranian counterpart that momentum is growing for Tehran to face sanctions if it doesn't stop its rebel nuclear program. Mr Downer has been in New York for a meeting of the United Nations General Assembly, where Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has been defending his country's nuclear ambitions.
Mr Downer met Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki this week, describing their exchange as "pretty lively". "I made the point to the Iranian foreign minister that we expected Iran to comply with Security Council resolutions that it's been subjected to and to comply with the requirements of the International Atomic Energy Agency as far as Iran's nuclear program is concerned," he said on ABC radio.
"There was quite a long argument about whether Iran should or shouldn't.
"But I suppose the take out from all of that is that there is going to be a further meeting in the next week or so ... between the EU negotiator ... and the Iranian negotiator on this nuclear issue."
Australia has flagged possible financial sanctions against Iran even without UN backing.
Mr Downer believes momentum is growing for action against the nuclear rebel. "As I explained to the Iranian foreign minister, the pressure is really building now in New York for some form of sanctions to be introduced on Iran if they aren't able to negotiate a satisfactory way through this nuclear issue, and that in particular involves suspending the enrichment program," he said.
A jet carrying 180 British tourists was grounded when its pilot announced: "Do not fly with this plane, it is not safe."
The holidaymakers were about to take off back to Bristol Airport from Antalya, Turkey, when a strange sound came from the Airbus A321's engines.
Then the captain announced: "I am resigning from my job. Do not fly with this plane. It is not safe. Do not fly with Onur Air."
The unnamed pilot walked off the aircraft, leaving the passengers in 38C heat without air conditioning.
They were eventually told to leave the aircraft, retrieve their luggage and go back to the terminal, where an alternative flight was arranged. Passenger Jade Barrett, said: "The pilot made his announcement and then walked off the plane. Some people started laughing nervously but others were crying and almost screaming.
"Everyone was terrified and we did not know what was happening but in the end they told us to get off the plane."
Up to 20 of the passengers were so scared they refused to board the replacement and tried to find other flights home.
A spokesman for Goldtrail, the company which chartered last week's flight, said: "The employee in question was serving his notice. There was a problem between him and the airline and he turned it into a bigger problem."
#3
As someone who has hired and fired employees, this incident is what I would call a "testimonial". One can only imagine how many Russian aircraft have been lost with all on board because the pilot and crew could not or refused to recognize easily interpreted signs of impending equipment failure.
These things rarely come up all of a sudden. He'd probably dealt with all kinds of 'cutting corners' and safety problems before, and the company failed to address them.
There was a problem between him and the airline
Yeah, they wanted him to risk his life and his passengers. That is a problem.
#5
Or it could be the dramatic "sabotage" exit play.
I recall a disgrutled inside sales rep in my office who apparently spent his last day huddled in his cubicell calling all his clients to advise them of our company's sudden demise and referring them to a competitor. At 4pm, calls complete, he slapped a Post It on his terminal with a markered "I quit" and we never saw him again.
The following Monday is when we learned of his calls as confused clients snowed the call centre. Took months to get some of the clients back. Funny boy.
#8
Gosh, an airline froma Muslim majority country has safety issues. Could it be their mechanics spend too much time praying? Or, maybe, they're trained in Iran? Or did someone swap the Koran for their training manual?
It took a few minutes of scrounging on the net, but this is not the first time Onur Air (AKA Goldtrail) has had their pitot tube caught in the wringer (scroll down at link for article):
29 MAY 2005 EU to consider harmonised air safety measures
The European Union said that it would propose an emergency coordination procedure for airline safety so that European governments would not take unilateral action against airlines. The proposal came after the Netherlands imposed a ban on the Onur Air because of safety concerns, prompting similar bans at Swiss, French and German airports. The European Commission also wants EU members to give it the power to impose flight suspensions and bans throughout the Union. The member states have rejected such a move in the past.
Operating on flight 2264 to Maastricht and Dalaman, the MD-88 overran the runway at Groningen Airport, the Netherlands by 50m after rejecting the takeoff.
Worried about Russia and eager to cast its lot with the West, Poland continues to hope that the U.S. will establish bases and send troops there, according to the Polish defense minister. It would make economic sense, it would make strategic sense, and it would also help us contribute more to joint expeditionary operations, Radoslaw Sikorski said in a Sept. 13 interview with Stars and Stripes in Washington.
When Pentagon officials unveiled their global repositioning plan in 2001, Poland was on the short list of sites to host forward operating sites, where U.S. troops can rotate in for regular training exercises. The bases would also be available for logistics and as launching points for contingency operations.
Recently, the U.S. signed 10-year basing agreements with two short-list countries in eastern Europe: Romania in December 2005 and Bulgaria in April 2006.
But although Polands Defense Minister Jerzy Szmajdzinski announced in January 2004 that Poland had started negotiations with Washington on hosting U.S. military bases, negotiations are not currently active, Sikorski said.
A Pentagon spokesman, Navy Lt. Cmdr. Joe Carpenter, confirmed to Stripes on Sept. 14 that while the Defense Department is constantly reviewing where we have forces postured around the world, there are no negotiations under way to develop any U.S. base facilities in Poland.
Sikorski said he does not understand why Washington has lost interest. We have some of the best exercise areas in Europe. We have people and a military that is friendly towards the United States, Sikorski said. We are somewhat surprised why some of our proposals have not been taken advantage of.
Despite its prominence on the early lists, Poland has no U.S. facilities in the offing. In Poland, we have an expression called press fact, which is a fact that only circulates in the media, without much grounding in reality, Sikorski said. Im afraid, much to our regret, this is one of them.
Carpenter said that when it comes to establishing bases in Europe, the Pentagons focus is on the southeast of Europe, where Romania and Bulgaria are located, in order to maximize the flexibility and deployability of forces in case of contingencies in the Middle East, for example.
But a U.S. defense official, who asked not to be identified because he was not given official permission to speak about what is a delicate diplomatic issue, told Stripes on Sept. 13 that the real reason Poland is getting cut out of the deal is simple: Every time we turn around, they have their hand out.
Despite generous contributions in military aid and extensive low-interest loans to buy military equipment, they have continually requested more and more money, the official said. Frankly, were starting to lose patience with Polands defense ministry, the official said.
#3
"Making people happy" > well, happiness is what the Russians thought they would get wid the 1917 Revolution; and what the Chicoms would get wid their "one child" policy.
#4
We still owe them for 1939; plus, a US brigade in Poland means it is off limits to the Russians.
Posted by: Mike ||
09/22/2006 6:42 Comments ||
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#5
In Poland, we have an expression called press fact, which is a fact that only circulates in the media, without much grounding in reality, Sikorski said.
And to think, in my younger days, I used to make fun of the Poles for being stupid.
Posted by: Bobby ||
09/22/2006 8:27 Comments ||
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#6
If we want trip wires for the Russians, we should establish bases in the Baltics. If we want bases near the WOT, Romania and Bulgaria. The Polish people are going Euro and are not particularly fond of American policies or Americans. They'll get more from our French and German enemies whom they need not fear simply due to proximity. Poland is in the middle and brings little to the table, especially if they're acting like a waif. It's too bad, cause they're great people. But they've gon Euro.
#8
Close Grafenwehr, leave Germany and move to one of the ex-Soviet bases. Much more land for training, lower cost of living and a measure of reassurance for new NATO members. Couple that with trade incentives. And did I mention American forces get to leave Germany?
Posted by: ed ||
09/22/2006 12:46 Comments ||
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CHICAGO - Minister Louis Farrakhan said in a letter to followers this month that he is seriously ill, and he asked the Nation of Islam's leaders to carry on in his absence to make sure the movement "will live long after I and we have gone." Farrakhan, 73, said he began suffering pain earlier this year similar to 1998, when he was diagnosed with prostate cancer and underwent surgery. He said doctors discovered an ulcer in his anal area during a visit to Cuba in March. Since then, he has lost 35 pounds while battling "serious infection and inflammation," Farrakhan said in a letter dated Sept. 11 and published in the Nation of Islam's The Final Call newspaper.
Farrakhan said he will work hard to recover "because I do not believe my earthly work is done." He said he asked his executive board to solve problems during his recovery.
Farrakhan likened his situation to that of Fidel Castro, who temporarily relinquished power because of illness. "While many rejoiced - believing and thinking that if Fidel Castro and the Cuban Revolution expired they could move Cuba and the Revolution in a new direction - his absence from the helm only proved that Cuba will not fall apart over the absence or passing of their illustrious leader," Farrakhan wrote in the letter. He also warned followers to be "ever watchful for any smart, crooked deceiver and hypocrite who would create confusion over my present condition." In other words, watch out for more Fartsinacans.
#4
I suspect that is called an "anal fissure", and judging from a guy I knew who had one, the pain is roughly akin to driving a couple large nails through one's kneecaps.
An immigration compromise plan will not work, because President Bush cannot be trusted to "certify" America's borders are secure, Rep. Tom Tancredo (R-Colo.) said Thursday.
In an effort to reconcile the divergent immigration bills in the House and Senate, Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-Texas) and Rep. Mike Pence (R-Ind.) put forth a compromise plan this summer that would require the president to "certify" the successful implementation of security measures along the most porous entry points into the U.S. before a guest worker program could be implemented.
"I don't trust the president to say the borders are secure," Tancredo told an audience at the Heritage Foundation in Washington, D.C. He said immigration policy should be formulated with an emphasis on law enforcement as opposed to "political pandering" for votes. Tancredo also cited a "disconnect" between "elite policy makers" and the American people.
This week, the Senate is considering House legislation that would authorize the construction of 700 miles of reinforced fencing along the most porous sections of America's southwestern border.
Additional measures passed by the House Thursday impose criminal penalties on the construction and financing of border tunnels and provide for expedited removal of criminal aliens. The legislation also "reaffirms the authority" of state and local police to enforce federal immigration laws.
Should the Senate fail to act on border enforcement legislation, Tancredo sees grassroots efforts and citizen activism on the local level as a viable alternative. He would like to see citizen support for strict local laws against illegal immigration and support for pro-enforcement officials at the local level.
Tancredo pointed to a local ordinance in Hazelton, Pa., as an example of the kind of legislation local officials could enact. The ordinance imposes fines and penalties on landlords who rent to illegal aliens and on businesses who hire them.
Similar measures have also passed in other parts of Pennsylvania and in Riverside, N.J.
Tancredo took issue with some conservative strategists - such as Grover Norquist, president of Americans for Tax Reform - who feel that a push for stringent immigration policies could hurt the Republican Party politically.
"I don't buy it," Tancredo said. "By saying we should be a nation of laws, we will gain votes."
As evidence, Tancredo pointed to Proposition 200 in Arizona, which requires government employees to verify the immigration status of people applying for benefits. Tancredo noted that law was enacted with support from 47 percent of the state's Hispanics.
#1
I'm with Tancredo. The Bush family has been working on this unified concept of merging Mexico/US/Canada for years. This is why the seemingly illogical stand on defending our border. This goes against the long term plans.
#3
what Tancredo, Anguper Hupomosing9418 and SOP35/Rat said.
I've been tuned up to the "immigration snow jobs" since that asshat, LBJ & Congress passed the Immigration and Naturalization Services Act of 1965. With-Out consulting US [citizens] first on such fundamental and sweeping changes and their possible ramifications. It certainly contributed to the wave of illegal immigration since.
prop 187 here in Caliphornia, a statewide election held and overwhelmingly passed by the electorate but struck down by one black robe instantly thereafter..
etc.
plus cash, voting, politicking, and many horribly written letters and essays later...
Remarks this week by Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez, who hurled insults at President Bush, brought a response on Thursday from congressional Democrats. VOA's Dan Robinson on Capitol Hill reports on the curious defense of the president from two key Democrats who said they resented the Venezuelan leader's behavior on American soil.
When Charlie Rangel calls a news conference, it's usually to criticize President Bush and others in his administration on everything from domestic economic and social issues, to Iraq. But the veteran New York lawmaker paused before addressing reporters to watch a U.S. television network broadcast live remarks by Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez in Harlem, the district in New York City that Rangel represents.
Congressman Rangel says the Venezuelan president should understand that however critical of President Bush he and other Democrats are, nothing justifies the kind of personal attacks made this week: "He has to understand that while we have problems politically sometimes with President Bush, that he is still our president and that we resent foreigners coming and condemning our president, whether it is at the United Nations or whether it is in my congressional district," said Charles Rangel.
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Posted by: Fred ||
09/22/2006 00:00 ||
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#1
You don't need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows, eh Chuck?
#2
The interesting defenses of the president come as congressional Democrats are otherwise ramping up criticisms of Mr. Bush on foreign and domestic policy issues just a few weeks before November mid-term legislative elections.
Someone must have nekkid pix of Pelosi and Rangel. Besides, don't these uppity foreigners know that only Democrats are allowed to do this kind of thing? Jeesh, the NERVE!
Deep Thought of the Day: I wonder if Chavez has figured out what it means that his country isn't muslim? Does he realize who's really making pacts with the devil?
#4
Let's not forget the donks that made this guy out to be a hero last November when he threw some oil at the impoverished in Mass and VT.
Posted by: Captain America ||
09/22/2006 3:32 Comments ||
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#5
Beloski is showing how tough she is
Posted by: Captain America ||
09/22/2006 3:32 Comments ||
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#6
Chavez and adminijihad only repeat what they hear from the Democrat party. The Democrat party owes US an apology for insulting our intelligence, appealing to only the lowest common denominator, and instilling a perverse moral attitute in the rest of the world.
Piper, a 43-year-old from St. Paul, Minn., is a commander in the Navy and was a mission specialist and cosmic electrician aboard the shuttle. She carried out two of the spacewalks, joining an elite club of only six other U.S. women and a single Russian woman who have made spacewalks.
#2
I can't believe they stood her up a second time after she went down & out. Somebody does that, put them flat on their back for an hour or so. Jeez, these were supposedly highly educated people "supporting" her.
The F-14 Tomcat was forever immortalized in American pop culture in the 1986 movie "Top Gun." The movie featured unforgettable characters with names like "Maverick," "Viper," and "Iceman," and lines of dialogue like, "I feel the need for speed." In short, it was cool.
In real life, the venerable jet served the Navy and the nation well for 36 years, from Vietnam through Desert Storm, Libya, Kosovo, Afghanistan and now, Iraq. . . .
The Tomcat is receiving a fitting tribute near Oceana's front gate, at the base's Naval Aviation Historical Park. There, the legendary fighter will be on display, front and center, alongside other Navy legends like the F-4 Phantom, the A-6 Intruder, and the A-1 Skyraider or Spad. Retired F-14 aviators Bruce "Dog" Doyle and Alex "Rattler" Rucker have devoted tender loving care to build a stone monument in front of the jet. . . .
And then, there are the various ceremonies this week, and the big send-off. As the committee's slogan says: "Last Time, Baby."
The monument and Walk of Heroes will be dedicated Thursday at 4pm. Then, the Tomcat Sunset weekend highlight will take place Friday at 10 am, with the Final Flight Ceremony at hangar 500. It will end, appropriately enough, with the final F-14 flying off into the distance. The Navy says the aircraft will likely be bound for the Davis Monthan Air Force Base in Arizona, where it and other retiring Tomcats will be stored in the "boneyard," or, as it is officially designated, "war reserve."
The bottom line is this: How do you say goodbye to a legend? With much love and care. And that's just what event organizers this week hope they're doing. Ensuring the F-14, although gone, won't be forgotten.
Posted by: Mike ||
09/22/2006 11:50 ||
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Thailand's ousted prime minister Thaksin Shinawatr announced on Thursday afternoon that he had no intention of returning to his former position. "I am taking a well-earned break," said Shinawatr in a message published in London where he is currently residing.
The officer who led the military-led coup called on other leaders to hastily prepare for new elections, stressing that it was vital to find a peaceful resolution "for the good of the king and the state."
Thailand's new military rulers announced that they were assuming the duties and responsibilities of the parliament, which was dissolved when the government was ousted. Earlier Thursday, the coup makers announced a ban on meetings by political parties and barred the establishment of new parties, saying in an announcement made on all Thai television stations that the action was taken to maintain peace and order.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/22/2006 00:00 ||
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...Governor Daniels will be announcing changes made to Indiana law by Executive Order to restore gun rights in state parks and public lands as an example to other governors of what can be done through executive power to reestablish the rights of law-abiding gun owners...
Falfurrias, Texas (AP) Agents working an immigration checkpoint found three illegal immigrants hidden in sealed nylon duffel bags, Customs and Border Protection said Thursday. None of the illegal immigrants found during the two consecutive stops Wednesday was harmed. All declined medical attention, though agents said they were sweating profusely.
In the first stop, agents searched a Dodge Durango with a Border Patrol dog after the driver and passenger appeared nervous. They found five people, including a woman and 5-year-old in a zipped duffel bag. The driver, a 39-year-old U.S. citizen, and the passenger, a 23-year-old U.S. citizen, were arrested and charged with alien smuggling.
Agents then searched the next vehicle after seeing a foot move under the back seat. Agents found four illegal immigrants, one concealed in a duffel bag. The driver, a 23-year-old U.S. citizen, was arrested and charged with alien smuggling. The illegal immigrants were returned to Mexico.
Falfurrias is about 75 miles north of the Mexican border.
#2
Agents said they found the people because the driver seemed nervous, but maybe it was just the stink emanating from those very sweaty people in the hot duffel bags.
A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
The Commerce Department has lost 1,137 laptop computers since 2001, most of them assigned to the Census Bureau, officials said Thursday night. 
NEW YORK - Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez met with Harlem's underprivileged on Thursday to tout a discounted heating oil program, a day after he triggered an uproar with his speech at the United Nations attacking President Bush. It was Chavez's second trip to New York. But while his visit to the Bronx last year passed largely unnoticed, Harlem was teeming with U.S. media on Thursday in the wake of Chavez's now-infamous United Nations reference to Bush as "the devil."
A jet carrying 180 British tourists was grounded when its pilot announced: "Do not fly with this plane, it is not safe." 
An immigration compromise plan will not work, because President Bush cannot be trusted to "certify" America's borders are secure, Rep. Tom Tancredo (R-Colo.) said Thursday.
