Common thread? People abusing power through acts of commission or omission to the detriment of the rest of us. In short, it pays to be "connected":

AP: S.C. Supreme Court Asked to Explain Grade Changes for Some Bar Exam Takers
"The South Carolina Bar has called on the state's high court to explain why it changed the grades of 20 people -- including the children of a judge and legislator -- from "fail" to "pass" on the state bar exam taken in July." [Via Law.com]
:: :: ::
Andy Vuong/DenverPost:  Nacchio: Use of state secrets fought
"The state-secrets privilege "acts as an absolute bar to disclosure of material that would harm national security - regardless of a party's need for the information" . . ."
:: :: ::
BBC: Iraq reporter faces terror charge
"AP says in the past 19 months various allegations have been floated unofficially against Mr Hussein by the US military, but then withdrawn with little explanation. .. "Whenever we ask to see what's so convincing we get back something that isn't convincing at all," said AP's lawyer Dave Tomlin. "
:: :: ::
Analog connections image @  IT.Med.Miami.edu.

This page intentionally left blank 'cause these "daily news" blurblets I've been posting for - gosh, a long time - have moved are moving to the new place:

discuss.epluribusmedia.net

Stroll around the grounds until you feel at home . . .

Marisa Taylor:  A Justice Department inquiry into secret eavesdropping is on again: The Justice Department has reopened an inquiry into the Bush administration's domestic eavesdropping program after its investigators received security clearances that President Bush once blocked.

Greg Gordon: CIA admits to recording interrogations of top al Qaida captives: The CIA has three video and audio recordings of interrogations of senior al Qaida captives but misled federal judges about the evidence during the case against terrorist Zacarias Moussaoui, federal prosecutors revealed in a Nov. 9 court filing that was made public Tuesday.

Robin McDonald/FultonCo.DailyReporter:
Federal Judge Lets Abu Ghraib Suit Against Government Contractor Go Forward
"But nobody, nobody's done anything to these contractors. They were involved in torture for profit," [Plaintiff's Attorney Jones] said. "There were people there who were conducting sensitive interrogations who had no military background, who may have been working mall security somewhere six months earlier." [Via LawCom]

Jonathan Kaplan/TheHill: Bush in no mood to talk to Dems about spending "Bush and congressional Democrats are at odds over the 12 spending bills needed to keep the government running." [GW didn't have the same problems with the 109th: Matt Taibbi/RollingStone: The Worst Congress Ever (17 Oct '06)]

Lisa Girion/LAT:  Health insurer tied bonuses to dropping sick policyholders
"Woodland Hills-based Health Net Inc. avoided paying $35.5 million in medical expenses by rescinding about 1,600 policies between 2000 and 2006. During that period, it paid its senior analyst in charge of cancellations more than $20,000 in bonuses based in part on her meeting or exceeding annual targets for revoking policies  . . . " [Life imitates art].

RIA Novosti:  Russia, India sign joint lunar research deal
"MOSCOW, November 12 - Russia's Federal Space Agency (Roskosmos) and the Indian Department of Space have signed a joint lunar research and exploration agreement, the Russian agency said on Monday."

[Image: Jules Verne: From the Earth to the Moon @ NASA.gov]

CNN: Armitage says he was 'foolish' to leak CIA agent's name " Armitage said he had seen a memo that said Plame was publicly chairing a meeting, so he assumed her CIA employment was not a secret."

WTF is it with people named "Dick" who hold positions of trust in this country?

Cheney pays tribute to Iraq veterans: "ARLINGTON, Va. - Vice President Dick Cheney paid tribute Sunday to veterans of the Iraq war, honoring them for keeping the United States democratic and free and hoping "they will return in victory."

Lindlaw+Chea/AP:   Ecosystem may absorb Bay Area spill
"SAN FRANCISCO - Most of the oil that spilled into San Francisco Bay when a container ship struck the Bay Bridge will never be retrieved and eventually will be absorbed into the ecosystem, authorities said Friday."

[Image:    Boom Absorber - Marichem-Marigases].

VVoA:   We Invite You To Be In A Video!:
Are you a Vietnam-era veteran? If so, we're looking for photos of you during your service to be used to produce a 2:50 video using the song WARSPEAK as the musical bed.

Saddle up, lock and load
Selector switch on rock and roll
Advance on line, recon by fire
Grenades in cans with fishing wire
Blooper, frag, M-16, Spooky, Huey, and fixed wing
05, 55, zone and shift, shell mix, fuse mix, make it quick