20 Jul 2006
Ministers reject no-spray zones

We have a name for that over here: chemical trespass. Now, while buffers are not mandated by law, if I put a 'Do Not Spray' sign up on the edges of my property, and my neighbor sprays his fields with some wind drift, then I have a right to file a civil lawsuit and collect damages. Which is the only way organic farms can survive in the American countryside in the 21st century.

Ministers reject the idea of 'buffer zones' around fields sprayed with pesticides in favour of voluntary measures.

(link) [BBC]

13:38 /Agriculture | 1 comment | permanent link

USDA to reduce mad cow testing program: Johanns

Because what we don't know won't hurt us. Perhaps the USDA should consider a new slogan: Ignorance is Bliss.

Reuters - The U.S. government will scale down its mad cow surveillance program to reflect a smaller presence of the disease in the United States, U.S. Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns said on Thursday.

(link) [Yahoo! News: Top Stories]

13:34 /Agriculture | 0 comments | permanent link

Card Locks Thwarted by Shopping Club Card

Ouch! I hate eating Post-It notes....

A recent column ('Social Engineering, the Shoppers' Way') on darkreading.com shows how easy it is for a pen test team to walk into a supposedly secure facility using a shoppers club card because the man trap feature was enabled. Man-traps allow people to enter an outer door but not an inner door similar to ATM kiosks. Once inside, of course, they had the run of the place. Lessons: after writing down your password, eat your sticky notes rather than leave them on the monitor.

(link) [Slashdot]

13:28 /Technology | 0 comments | permanent link

Drinking can be dangerous

Uh, yes...

People who drink alcohol are up to four times more likely than non-drinkers to be hurt from physical injuries such as a fall or punch, new research shows.

(link) [EurekAlert!]

07:29 /Humor | 0 comments | permanent link