WASHINGTON — Although the FBI has acknowledged it improperly obtained thousands of Americans’ phone records for years, the Obama administration continues to assert that the bureau can obtain them without any formal legal process or court oversight. The FBI revealed this stance in a newly released report, troubling critics who’d hoped the bureau had been chastened enough by its own abuses to drop such a position. In further support of the legal authority, however, the Justice Department’s Office of Legal Counsel backed the FBI in a written opinion issued this month. The opinion by the OLC - the section that wrote the memos that justified enhanced interrogation techniques during the last administration - appears to be yet another sign that the Obama administration can be just as assertive as Bush’s in claiming sweeping and controversial anti-terrorism powers. The Justice Department’s watchdog, the inspector general, said the OLC opinion has ‘significant policy implications that need to be considered by the FBI, the Department, and the Congress.’ ‘The FBI says that this kind of activity is in the past,’ said Michael German, a former FBI agent who’s now the American Civil Liberties Union’s policy counsel. ‘But if […]
The post-holiday paths to local gymnasiums are paved with the best of intentions. After indulging in an assortment of goodies from Thanksgiving through the end of December, millions of Americans set New Year’s resolutions built on promises of slimming down and shaping up. For many, the prospect of sweating at the gym five days a week or eliminating pizza as a food group loses its appeal after a week or two. When it comes to heart health, however, a radical lifestyle change isn’t required to affect positive change. John Quindry, director of Auburn University’s Cardioprotection Research Laboratory, said far too many people associate hour-long elliptical machine sessions as the most effective means of building a healthy heart. ‘There’s something about a new year where people muster up the courage to actually make some great claims and expectations for the year ahead, claims that most of the time go completely unfulfilled,” said Quindry, an assistant professor of exercise science in the College of Education’s Department of Kinesiology. ‘Just getting out and walking or jogging for the recommended 30 to 45 minutes most days is going to be enough to help.” Quindry said the point can’t be […]
A new study from Australia suggests that couch potatoes live shorter lives. The study followed 8,800 adults ages 25 and older for six and a half years and found that each daily hour of television viewing was associated with an 18 percent increase in deaths from heart disease and an 11 percent increase in overall mortality. Those who watched television four hours or more per day were 80 percent more likely to die of cardiovascular disease than those who watched two hours or less, and 46 percent more likely to die of any cause. And it did not matter whether they were overweight, according to the study, which appeared Jan. 11 in the online edition of Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association. Although it is possible that people who were already ill watched more television than those who were healthy, the researchers tried to rule that out by excluding subjects who already had heart disease and by adjusting for differences in risk factors like diet and smoking. While the benefits of physical activity have been well studied, there is growing interest among researchers in assessing the effects of being sedentary. ‘For many people, on […]
The California Supreme Court on Thursday unanimously struck down state limits - and, most likely, local limits, too - on how much marijuana a patient or caregiver can possess or grow for medical purposes. But the state’s highest court revived another part of state law that a lower court had ordered voided, protecting the state’s voluntary identification-card program for patients and caregivers. The Office of the State Attorney General had agreed with lawyers for defendant Patrick Kelly, of Lakewood, that the limits should be abolished but the ID card system retained. The ruling may have brought cheers in some cities, but it could be irrelevant in San Jose - at least for a while. Mike Hannon, a city code enforcement official, said medical marijuana dispensaries are illegal in San Jose and his office plans to start issuing compliance letters today that will require ‘these businesses to close in 30 days.’ He estimated 20 to 30 of them have popped up around the city in recent months. ‘As a charter city, we can regulate land use and we don’t currently permit these types of businesses,’ he said, adding, ‘There’s no ill will on the part of […]
WASHINGTON – A sharply divided Supreme Court ruled yesterday that labor unions and corporations can spend unlimited amounts to influence federal elections, throwing out a ban that had been in effect for 63 years and adding an explosive new element to this year’s midterm elections. The 5-to-4 ruling dismayed lawmakers and public interest groups that fought for decades to limit the influence of wealthy special interests in politics. But it cheered those who have railed against what they see as government control of free speech in election campaigns. The decision also could provoke changes in Massachusetts law, which bans corporate spending to influence an election. Campaign finance specialists said that while the high court opinion specifically applies to federal races, the First Amendment issue cited in the ruling could end up preempting state laws or enabling new lawsuits to challenge them. The court said that corporate and labor union spending amounted to free speech and should be constitutionally protected. ‘The censorship we now confront is vast in its reach,” Justice Anthony Kennedy said in the majority opinion. The justices left in place the dollar limits for contributions to candidates by individuals and political action committees. In […]
Remote Viewing the Year 2060
