Daily · Dreamtime

Story location: http://www.wired.com/news/culture/0,1284,66334,00.html

02:00 AM Jan. 21, 2005 PT

What does it say about the Central Intelligence Agency that its agents can crack the secret codes of enemy nations but can't unravel a coded sculpture sitting outside their cafeteria window?

It says, perhaps, that artist Jim Sanborn, who created the cryptographic sculpture named Kryptos that sits on CIA grounds, could have a career in covert operations if he ever grows tired of stumping the experts.
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"When we solved the Cyrillic Projector it was exciting and energizing for everyone working on Kryptos," she said. "If we solve Kryptos, there are plenty of other codes to solve after that."

Economist Paul Krugman explains Bush's latest con -- social security
By ERIC BATES

To hear George Bush tell it, Social Security is about to go broke. Since his re-election, the president has launched a full-scale campaign to convince the public that the retirement system will run out of money starting in 2018. "The system goes into the red," Bush told reporters on December 20th at a rare press conference. "Many times, legislative bodies will not react unless the crisis is apparent, crisis is upon them. I believe that crisis is." Social Security, he concluded, "can't sustain that which has been promised to the workers." ( Read more... )
He actually wants to do the opposite. If he manages to privatize Social Security, he'll try to privatize Medicare next. He'll try to strip away guaranteed health care and turn it into some kind of system of individual health accounts. The right says that what we need is more choice, more competition. But every piece of evidence suggests that health care is an area in which privatization actually raises costs. If they succeed at dismantling both Social Security and Medicare, then you're pretty much back, on domestic policy, to the days of Warren Harding -- which is exactly where they want to go.

(Posted Jan 13, 2005)

Bush answered, "No, I probably want to hang him and go home."

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By Eric Boehlert

Jan. 24, 2005  |   Four years ago, when they were tapped by George W. Bush for high-profile government positions, Colin and Michael Powell radiated confidence, and also gave Republicans a brash new look. Trusted and widely admired, the African-American father-and-son team boasted gold-plated résumés. As the most famous soldier of his generation -- retired Army general, national security advisor, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff -- Colin Powell oversaw the State Department while Michael Powell, the well-connected rising star who had sparked open talk among Republicans about a future Virginia governorship, was elevated to chairman of the Federal Communications Commission.

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 That both Colin and Michael Powell decided not to stay on and serve through Bush's second term is not surprising. That both accomplished so little during the past four years is.
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About the writer
Eric Boehlert is a senior writer at Salon.