Security

Diebold says public must be protected from flaws

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Another case of pot calling the kettle black? I just found this odd quote in the news:

“The material errors and material misrepresentations are so egregious that HBO should pull the documentary,” Diebold Election System president David Byrd wrote. “Failing that, a pre-airing rebuttal and disclaimer are not only appropriate but also in the best interests of HBO and its subscribers.”

The harm of the HBO documentary is not clear. Critical thinking by the public about democracy and electronic voting systems? If Diebold systems were truly safe to use and secure, they would have nothing to worry about, right? On the other hand, the harm from material errors and material misrepresentations by an electronic voting systems manufacturer would lead to botched elections and undermining the cornerstone of democracy. Should voting systems be “pulled” as soon as egregious errors and misrepresentations about security are found?

Perhaps if Diebold would like to take such a strong position on what constitutes an “egregious” error and misrepresentation by HBO, they could at least see the film?

While Diebold spokesman David Bear said company officials had yet to see the film, he said the firm was never contacted by the filmmakers when they were making the documentary.

[…]

HBO contends that Diebold has confused [Hacking Democracy with VoterGate].

“It appears the film Diebold is responding to is not the film HBO is airing,” [HBO spokesman] Cusson said.

And then perhaps Diebold could also explain why they are still selling electronic voting systems without a paper-trail? Talk about willfully exposing the public to egregious errors…

I believe Ed Felton has made Diebold’s totally flawed logic painfully clear already, so while I welcome their new position on protecting the public, I just wish they held themselves to the same standard.

Food

American Kvass for Sale

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A brewer in Pittsburg has claimed to have made the first commercial American Kvass:

For Growlers this week: Big Hop Harvest (will this be the last week?), Black Strap Stout, East End Witte, and for the FIRST TIME ANYPLACE: Session Ale #5, Kvass – the first commercial Russian Bread Beer brewed in the United States!

I love Kvass and wish it were more available outside Europe.

History, Poetry

9 parts of desire

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Nine Parts looks like it might be really good:

A portrait of the extraordinary (and ordinary) lives of a whole cross-section of Iraqi women: a sexy painter, a radical Communist, doctors, exiles, wives and lovers. This work delves into the many conflicting aspects of what it means to be a woman in the age-old war zone that is Iraq. An unusually timely meditation on the ancient, the modern and the feminine in a country overshadowed by war.

I noted that the star of the show is, in fact, of Iraqi-American decent:

Originally from Michigan, Heather divides her time between New York and Los Angeles. Her father is from Iraq and her mother is American.

The reviews all seem to be favorable, like this one:

The birth of this play almost reads like poetry: In 1993, against the backdrop of gargantuan portraits of Saddam Hussein’s oppressive face, Raffo discovered in an art museum a painting of a nude woman against a barren tree. Her research revealed that the free-spirited and notorious artist Layla Attar had recently been killed in a bombing raid. Thus began a journey that brought her further into her homeland, back into the arms of her relatives and ultimately into the lives of the numerous Iraqi woman who form the backbone of the show. Some plays seem to slip out of a playwright; others clunk. The rare, exceptional ones seem to burst out as an intense gut reaction – Raffo’s Nine Parts of Desire is such a play.

Security

Good news

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Maybe it’s because of Halloween, but there are some surprisingly good developments in international news stories today:

Bush thanks Chinese

Hizbullah confirms (indirect) talks with Israel

Let’s hope that tomorrow, when the costumes come off and the partying is over, people continue working together to solve complex security issues and the news remains positive. Ok, ok, so Halloween isn’t global, but you know what I mean; we often act more like ourselves when we can find solace in another persona.

Then again, maybe it is global:

Two sharp-eyed Germans saw what they thought were masked bank robbers in a car with tinted windows in front of a bank and called police, but the occupants turned out not to be thieves but children in Halloween masks.