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CityWatcher.com, a provider of surveillance equipment, attracted little notice itself — until a year ago, when two of its employees had glass-encapsulated microchips with miniature antennas embedded in their forearms. The "chipping" of two workers with RFIDs — radio frequency identification tags as long as two grains of rice, as thick as a toothpick — was merely a way of restricting access to vaults that held sensitive data and images for police departments, a layer of security beyond key cards and clearance codes, the company said. "To protect high-end secure data, you use more sophisticated techniques," Sean Darks, chief executive...

CRAWFORD, Texas (Reuters) - U.S. President George W. Bush on Saturday acknowledged lawmakers' doubts about a U.S. immigration proposal, but argued it will help resolve the status of 12 million illegal immigrants in the United States. With the proposal taking fire from both Republicans and Democrats, the Senate is expected to begin debate on immigration next week. Bush used his weekly radio address to open what is likely to be an intense effort to persuade Americans to support the plan as the answer to long-simmering U.S. immigration problems. "It will help us resolve the status of millions of illegal immigrants...

Read the list of 147 names on the Cook County Jail visitor records for Tank Johnson, and the big ones stand out. Jesse Jackson. Michael McCaskey. Brian Urlacher. Lovie Smith. But with due respect to the marquee value of those men, celebrity was not the most impressive aspect of the visitor log since March 16 obtained by the Tribune through a Freedom of Information Act request.

BAGHDAD — The trial of Mohammed Munaf on charges of kidnapping three Romanian journalists in 2005 lasted about an hour, his lawyer said. And even though no witnesses testified, he said, the Iraqi-born U.S. citizen was sentenced to hang. Munaf's case is under appeal and he has not been executed, but Amnesty International said Friday that about 100 convicts had been hanged since Iraq reinstated the death penalty three years ago, including many whose cases were rushed through the system without due process. The London-based human rights group said the trend could lead to further brutalization of the war-torn nation,...

WASHINGTON, March 22, 2007 ? Resident care is the paramount concern at the Armed Forces Retirement Home here, and allegations of poor conditions ?are without merit,? the facility?s chief operating officer said in a statement released yesterday. Tim Cox responded to the Government Accountability Office?s request that the Defense Department investigate allegations against the historic home in the heart of the nation?s capital that has housed four U.S. presidents, including Abraham Lincoln. ?Because nothing is more important than the safety and health of our heroes, we take these allegations very seriously,? Cox said. Cox noted that the GAO has...

WASHINGTON, Dec. 7, 2006 -- Holiday shoppers turning to the Internet to avoid the mall crowds have an easy way to support servicemembers and their families this year thanks to a partnership between Sears Holdings Corporation and “USA Cares.”  America Supports You is a Defense Department program highlighting ways Americans and the corporate sector support the nation’s military. Sears Holdings is the parent company of Sears and Kmart department stores. “Sears has a longstanding commitment with the military, and we feel privileged to assist the troops and their families through this initiative,” Brenda Storch, a Sears Holdings spokeswoman, said. “We...

WASHINGTON, Oct. 26, 2006 – Lost amid all the discussion over North Korea’s Oct. 9 nuclear test is an issue that Defense Department officials who specialize in that region have studied for decades and continue to study now: the possibility that, as it has before, North Korea could launch a conventional “bolt from the blue” attack on South Korea. At 4 a.m. June 25, 1950, a tremendous artillery barrage disturbed the pre-dawn air over the 38th Parallel dividing North and South Korea. Within minutes, 135,000 North Korean soldiers, supported by hundreds of tanks and artillery pieces, poured over the line,...

WASHINGTON, Oct. 4, 2006 -- A group from Massachusetts worked diligently on the fifth anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks to keep the nation’s servicemembers warm. New England Caring For Our Military volunteers, a Massachusetts-based nonprofit organization, help get fleece blankets ready to ship to servicemembers serving away from home Sept. 11. Each of nearly 1,200 blankets, which an area textile mill donated, was accompanied by a letter thanking the troops for their service and explaining who was involved in getting the blankets to them. Courtesy photo  '(Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. “I really wanted to have...

MANAGUA, Nicaragua - The recent military build-up in Venezuela by U.S. nemesis President Hugo Chavez has other countries in the region worried that the weapons could end up in the hands of terrorists, Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld said Monday. "I can understand neighbors being concerned," said Rumsfeld, who is attending a meeting of Western hemisphere military leaders here this week. Asked whether he believes Venezuelan officials' contention that the weapon buys are strictly for defense and not a threat to the region, Rumsfeld said, "I don't know of anyone threatening Venezuela — anyone in this hemisphere." Venezuela's defense minister...

Okay, this is strange. I am VERY concerned about President Bush making the speech at the U.N. with the "President" of Iran being anywhere in the vicinity. (in other words, the same continent) Please pray for President Bush's safety, that he will have heavenly protection. Thanks.

WASHINGTON — President Bush expressed "serious concern" Saturday over the suicides at the U.S. military prison at Guantanamo Bay and directed an aggressive effort by his administration to reach out diplomatically while it investigates. "He wants to make sure that this thing is done right from all points of view," White House press secretary Tony Snow said Saturday evening. Bush, who is spending the weekend at Camp David, was notified at 7:45 a.m. EDT. Snow said it was during his daily intelligence briefing just afterward when the president voiced his concern over the incident and directed that the bodies be...

Relations between the US and Russia are deteriorating badly and there is a danger of conflict in the flashpoints of the south Caucasus, according to senior former officials and corporate leaders advising the EastWest Institute (EWI). EWI board members at the think-tank's annual meeting in Charleston were almost unanimous in calling for moves to prevent what one called an emerging "cold peace" between the US and Russia. John Mroz, founder and president of EWI, called the deterioration worrisome. He placed the trend in the context of growing distrust between the major powers, including China, with the world in a state...

WASHINGTON – Massive demonstrations nationwide have helped propel legislation to legalize millions of undocumented immigrants. But immigration experts and critics caution that the legislation, if enacted, could generate a legacy of unintended consequences. Senate legislation would double legal immigration, legalize millions currently in the country illegally and open the border every year to hundreds of thousands of “guest workers.” The Senate debated the legislation in March and April but failed to complete action before going on a recess. The House approved enforcement-only legislation in December that would make unlawful presence in the country a felony, boost efforts to stop illegal...

WASHINGTON – Supreme Court justices appeared troubled Tuesday by President Bush's plans to hold war-crimes trials for foreigners held at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. And several seemed outraged by the government's claim that a new law had stripped the high court of authority to hear a case brought by Salim Ahmed Hamdan, a Yemeni who once worked as a driver for Osama bin Laden. Hamdan has spent nearly four years in the U.S. prison at Guantanamo, and the Supreme Court has been asked to decide if he can be put on trial with fewer legal protections before a type of military...

FORT CAMPBELL, Ky. (Army News Service, Sept. 19, 2005) – The home “makeover” of a Soldier injured in Iraq will kick off the season premiere of ABC’s “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” Sept. 25. In late June, the family of Master Sgt. Luis Rodriguez got a surprise visit from the cast and crew, including the popular Ty Pennington, and a new 3,225-square-foot home near Fort Campbell, Ky., specifically tailored to the Rodriguez family’s needs. Rodriguez was injured in Iraq in 2003, losing his right leg above the knee, two fingertips on his left hand and he sustained serious shrapnel wounds when...

SIERRA VISTA - In World War I, women made and rolled bandages for Americans wounded in combat. In World War II, women knitted socks, to keep GIs' feet clean and comfortable. Now, a group of Sierra Vista women are sewing neck coolers for soldiers in hot Iraq and will be taking on knitting caps to keep them warm when the weather in that nation turns cold. "Women are awesome when they decide to do something," June Kennedy said Monday. It was the second Monday that a few women gathered in her house. The sounds of a sewing machine stitching a...

WASHINGTON, July 8, 2005 – With his family in tow, Phil Randazzo came here over the Fourth of July weekend to pay respect to wounded servicemembers and to hand out a few tokens of his appreciation. Along with his wife and three children, Randazzo visited Walter Reed Army Medical Center here and donated 13 mini DVD players and 50 DVDs to the institution so that wounded troops can enjoy a variety of movies and television programs during their recovery, Randazzo said. "These are the people who make our country great," he said. "My wife and I could not have felt...

URGENT ACTION USA (Georgia): Death penalty / Legal concern, Terry Mincey PUBLIC AI Index: AMR 51/150/2001 EXTRA 70/01 Death penalty / Legal concern 16 October 2001 USA (Georgia) Terry Mincey, white, aged 40 Terry Mincey is scheduled to be executed in Georgia on 25 October. He has spent more than 19 years - almost half his life - on death row. He was sentenced to death for the murder of Paulette Riggs in 1982. Paulette Riggs was shot dead on 12 April 1982 during a robbery of the store in Macon where she worked. A second person, Russell Peterman, was...

SACRAMENTO – Of all the questions about California's ambitious plans to publicly finance human cloning projects for medical research, one of the thorniest may be how scientists plan to gather the thousands of eggs they'll need from women. It's an ethical dilemma that has made unlikely allies of Christian groups – who believe cloning immorally creates and destroys life in the name of science – and women's rights activists who fear that poor women will be exploited by commercial interests willing to pay thousands of dollars for human eggs produced by fertility drugs. The issue is not abstract. A small,...

Published: 09.18.2004 'Strangers' come through for local soldiers in Iraq By Carol Ann Alaimo ARIZONA DAILY STAR Jeffry Scott / Arizona Daily Star Donated for soldiers in Iraq who lost their personal belongings in a fire, a wide variety of useful items are sorted by Elks Club Tucson East Lodge members, from left, Florence John, Connie Mills and Tom DeRousse. Local businesses helped with donations.   Beyond basic  The Army provides troops with basics, but soldiers supply their own grooming products and personal items. They include:     Standard Issue:   Combat fatigues   Boots   Canteens   Protective...