FBI to Expand DNA Database

The New York Times reports today that the FBI is planning to expand its DNA library to encompass suspects and witnesses, not just individuals convicted of crimes. When DNA libraries were initiated by the FBI and more local law authorities, they generally only looked at the most violent of offenders (partly due to the time and cost needed to analyze the DNA).

Now, the United States looks to follow the lead of Britain, where DNA libraries include a proportionally massive number of individuals -- 4.5 million out of 60 million citizens have a DNA profile on record. Further, it is known that many of the British citizens have not committed any crimes, and are some are children as young as ten years old.

Britain has run afoul of some human rights and privacy groups, but it is likely the United States government will follow their model. Realistically, the exclamations of civil liberties will not stop government as a whole and law enforcement in particular from taking what it wants. Interestingly, DNA backlogs are already very prevalent throughout the country, and adding more work to the system seems certain to strain it, not to mention paying for the lab work needed.

FBI Expanding DNA Database

Obama's Tax

Obama looks to have taken quite a hit (by American standards) under taxes set up by his predecessor, George W. Bush. In documents released on Wednesday, it turns out he and his wife paid over eight-hundred and fifty thousand dollars on an income of two-point-six million.

His payments are surprising considering how many of his appointments were found to be in arrears for delinquent payments, but as a savvy politician Obama was smart to pay his due and not take advantage of the many tax loopholes afforded the wealthy in the United States.

Even more significant, the Obamas donated well upward of one hundred and seventy thousand dollars to charities around the world. The Obamas made only around two hundred thousand as a state senator salary combined with the earnings of a hospital administrator, but the sales of "Dreams From my Father" and "The Audacity of Hope" translated into significant royalties.

Obama and the Pirates: War on the High Seas

Pirate attacks have been growing in frequency over the last several years, and show no signs of letting up. Many of the pirate gang are thought to operate out of ports in Somalia, and it's believed that they represent a largely significant and ever growing portion of the Somalian economy. Over the weekend, the United States military engaged a particularly ruthless band in a melee that ended with bloodshed.

For several days, pirates had held captive an American captain and his crew, aboard a boat that was flying the flag of the United States. In what is thought to be the first encounter of it's kind, the U.S. military stepped in to rescue the hostages after a semi-successful attempt by the crew to liberate themselves.

While several crew members were able to escape, the captain of the ship was apparently recaptured and held in demand for ransom. One of the pirates was taken aboard a United States military vessel to pursue negotiations. Meanwhile, rough seas dictated that the captured lifeboat that was being used by the pirates and their hostage be towed to calmer seas. During this time, U.S. military observed the captain with an armed pirate pointing a gun at his back and believed his life to be in danger. Acting with deadly skill, three snipers eliminated the threat by shooting and killing all the three pirates on the boat.

Canadian Steals Plane, Hopes to be Shot Down in United States

Crazy news from Ontario this morning. Apparently a man decided to try and commit suicide by stealing a plane and flying it across the border into the United States. People who spoke to the individual after his apprehension told reporters that the perpetrator was suicidal but he claimed to have lacked the courage to finish the deed himself. It was his hope that by flying into U.S. airspace, he would be shot down by the military of our neighbors to the south.

It all started when the 31 year old stole a plane from an airfield near Ontario. He then proceeded to fly across the border into Wisconsin and continued south, while being escorted by F-16. Per the United States armed forces, he was believed to be a 'flight safety issue' and not a terrorist attack. However, for safety reasons the state capitol building in Missouri did need to be evacuated.

Eventually the man realized he was running out of fuel and had been unsuccessful in drawing the fire of the escorting fighter jets. He put the plane down on a rural road and then apparently hitchhiked to a local convenience store. Authorities arrested him there without incident.

Snowflaking as a Means To Defeat Debt

Recently, I've been reading about a great technique to pay down debt. The practice is called "snowflaking", and it's a variant of a technique called snowballing. If these terms sound confusing, they aren't. I'll explain each.

Snowballing is a debt reduction term from Dave Ramsey (a guru when it comes to managing personal debt). It involves a relatively simple process of prioritizing your debts and then you figure out how much you can pay each month, and KEEP paying that amount as the debt shrinks and shrinks. Personally I think it's best to order them by interest rate, but others believe the biggest debts should be paid down first. Obviously, 10% of 1,000 is less than 5% of 50,000, so it really depends on the individual.

The snowflake method adds to the snowball theory. Since a snowball is made up of many tiny snowflakes, you can approach your debt the same way by saving small amounts of money each day and adding it to the snowball (in other words, adding it to the already established minimum amount of money you are paying your debt each month). If you make coffee instead of buying it, put the money you saved into the snowflake jar. Got a rebate on a recent purchase? Snowflake jar. Recycle your cans and bottles...put the spare change in, you guessed it, the snowflake jar!

At the end of the month, you'll find you have a nice addition to your snowball and you'll be even closer to your goal of becoming debt free.

You can read more about the idea of snowflaking from the originator, The I've Already Paid For This Twice blogger. Here's the link.

Harper Proclaims Protectionism Greatest Risk

Prime Minister Harper was not alone today when he gushed enthusiastically about the new agreement cobbled together by the Group of Twenty. Emphasizing the fact that the nations had been able to cooperate and reach this point together, Harper suggested that the world of finance should sit up and take note. Indeed, it would seem the unified front of the G20 countries further underscores that protectionism and divisiveness will not lengthen or deepen the current economic crisis.

Many historians believe that the global depression of the 1920s was in fact exacerbated and prolonged by protectionist stances taken by many of the affected countries; most notably the United States. Harper is correct in his assertion that protectionism is a threat; at the same time he must look out for the best interests of Canadians, and that means a reasonable balance that would benefit all citizens.

Harper concedes that there are some compelling arguments for protectionism, at least in a limited role, and that some sectors, such as automobile manufacturing, might benefit, at least in the short term. However, one of the pitfalls of protectionism is that it becomes difficult to contain, can spill over into other sectors, and can be met by great resistance abroad, leading to competing protectionist clause in a foreign nation. Then, former trading partners cease their transactions and the economies stagnate. Given that scenario, it appears Harper is doing well to avoid such a danger and at the very least paying lip service to the dangers. We will see over the coming months if he acts in accordance with his words.

Harper and Protectionism

Economic Compromises at the Group of Twenty

Major new agreements among the so called 'Group of Twenty', or G-20 for short, were released today. The efforts to rekindle the global economy brought these world leaders together and helped push for a spirit of compromise that is rare these days.

Surprisingly, the North American, European, and Asian countries were all able to reach a multitude of agreements extending across many financial and economic borders. Among the agreements, the G-20 approved another $1.1 trillion dollars in monetary commitments, but stopped well short of the United States' model of direct injection of capital into free markets.

Rather, the bulk of the one trillion plus dollars will be made up of loans via the International Monetary Fund. The Germans in particular have been stressing fiscal responsibility and have taken a hard line approach against any 'borrowing from Paul to pay Peter" tact that is so common in the United States. With new compromises on bank regulation, the Germans found common ground and in fact, all of the major nations were able to compromise and agree upon the new standards.