‘In the 1970s and 1980s, the German Democratic Republic’s
secret police – the Stasi – frequently labelled suspected
dissidents with highly radioactive chemicals so that agents
wearing concealed Geiger counters could keep tabs on them,
according to a paper by Klaus Becker, a leading radiation
protection expert.

It has long been suspected that the Stasi used radiation as a
weapon. Becker reports that “unusual non-medical X-ray
machines” in former political prisons could have been used for
covertly irradiating inmates.

Large doses of X-rays are thought to be behind the deaths
from cancer of a number of prominent dissidents.’ New Scientist

Is ozone responsible for the asthma epidemic in children? The evidence mounts that smog damages the lungs of growing infants and causes asthma. A recent study from UCDavis confirms a widely suspected correlation. The increasing incidence of asthma has been a troubling and puzzling phenomenon of public health. New Scientist

Happy perihelion! The earth was at its annual closest point to the sun this morning at 5:00 EST. The sunlight falling on the earth’s surface was around 7% more intense than it is at the height of the summer.

Microsoft, Starbucks in wireless venture. Their coffee shops around the world will be endowed with wireless network links allowing customers to access local arts, entertainment and shopping information. Starbucks is also launching a system to let customers pre-order via cellphone on the way in to their coffee bar. Infoworld

Accidental e-mail violates 12,000 patients’ confidentiality. California insurer sends the names of patients receiving treatment for mental conditions to the wrong doctors, blames “computer glitch.” San Jose Mercury

Celebrities: Enough, already “After a year of
tales of their addictions, affairs and (optional) clothing choices, the rest of us need a break.” Philadelphia Inquirer

Ashcroft is pro-privacy, defied FBI on encryption export restrictions and opposed FBI-supported 1997 bill that would have mandated a “key-recovery” scheme. “Working for him is what made me realize I could be a [Republican
Party] civil libertarian,” said one former advisor. The Register

As if you hadn’t noticed: The Net is a commercial failure: study. “In spite of heroic efforts by vast armies of e-merchants to pervert the
Net into some commercial Valhalla, it remains primarily a tool for
research (albeit commercial in many cases) and for socializing,
according to a recent study by the Pew Internet Project.” The Register

Girl sues friend for $5m after saving her life. The 17-year-old was severely injured at 11 when she pushed her friend out of the path of an oncoming truck. Now she blames her friend’s parents for failing to “supervise (their daughter) properly, or instruct her on how to cross a road safely.” National Post

Reducing the entire universe to the level of the complete idiot? Washington Post