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Gruesome discovery in the trunk

I really didn’t think it was ever possible to suffocate in the trunk of a car, as all the trunks I’ve seen on cars really don’t look all that airtight. Turns out it’s VERY possible, and has actually happened to three young boys.

::shudder::

This would explain why new cars are required to have an emergency release latch in the trunk. And why some safety oganizations are advocating the installation of trunk release mechanisms on older cars.

So, was YOUR credit card info breached?

According to current credit card company policies, you may never really know if your credit card information has been stolen, because they simply don’t feel you need to know:

Companies such as J.P. Morgan Chase & Co., Citigroup Inc., American Express Co. and MBNA Corp. said that they are not automatically alerting their customers that their information may have been exposed but that they are more closely monitoring the accounts that may have been affected. The policy was reported yesterday on CNetNews.com.

Such credit-card-issuing banks said MasterCard and Visa have shared with them lists of account numbers that may have been compromised. Though such accounts may earn heightened scrutiny from the banks that issued them, customers may never know whether their account numbers were among those stolen by hackers.

It’s unfortunate that banks are willingly witholding this information from account holders. I think this weekend, I’m going to “lose” all of my credt cards and demand replacements… just in case.

The Win that Wasn’t

I love how this reporter has decided to call the war in Iraq a victory when it’s not really over yet, and apparently won’t be anytime soon:

WASHINGTON — The men responsible for winning the U.S. war in Iraq made their case before a nervous Congress today, telling members of the Senate and House concerned about declining public support for the war that victory in Iraq was certain and that a U.S. military withdrawal would plunge the country into chaos.

Despite a sophisticated and effective insurgency that they said had not diminished in strength, Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld and three top military commanders painted a picture of steady progress in Iraq. And they warned skittish members of Congress that bowing to public pressure for a U.S. troop pullout could lead to a far more dangerous Iraq than the one that exists today.

Okay, let’s make a couple of things crystal clear:
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