Deconstructing the Digital Era

I must confess that I've never trusted the Web. I've always seen it as a coward's tool. Where does it live? How do you hold it personally responsible? Can you put a distributed network of fiber-optic cable "on notice"? And is it male or female? In other words, can I challenge it to a fight? -- Stephen Colbert

Senator Ted Stevens thinks the internet is a "series of tubes." George W. Bush believes there are internets galore out there. And John McCain...well, the Senator has admitted that he doesn't even know how to use a computer.

Politics in the digital era is tricky, not so much because of the wealth of information on the web, but because of the millions of ordinary Americans using that information on a daily basis. Armed with new media tools, muckrackers today number in the millions. No longer is a candidate able to present a poll-tested package to the press and have that persona spoon-fed to the American people. No, today's voters have available to them a universe of information consisting of detailed voting records, primary sources, debunking sites, blogs, and more. As John McCain recently said, "[w]hat you can find out now on the Internet -- it's remarkable."
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Preventing Carbon Monoxide Poisoning After an Emergency

Generators, grills, camp stoves, or other gasoline, propane, natural gas, or charcoal-burning devices should never be used inside a home, basement, garage, or camper - or even outside near an open window.
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Upper Endoscopy

Upper endoscopy enables the physician to look inside the esophagus, stomach, and duodenum (first part of the small intestine). The procedure might be used to discover the reason for swallowing difficulties, nausea, vomiting, reflux, bleeding, indigestion, abdominal pain, or chest pain. Upper endoscopy is also called EGD, which stands for esophagogastroduodenoscopy (eh-SAH-fuh-goh-GAS-troh-doo-AH-duh-NAH-skuh-pee).
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Warning Signs That 401(k) Contributions Are Being Misused

Increasingly employees are asked to make voluntary or mandatory contributions to pension and other benefit plans. This is particularly true for 401(k) savings plans. These plans allow you to deduct from your paycheck a portion of pretax income every year, invest it and pay no taxes on those contributions until the money is withdrawn at retirement. Is your plan being misused?
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Identity Theft and Telemarketing

Your personal information is valuable. Protect it! Guard your Social Security, Bank, credit card and Driver's license numbers. Some criminals lie on the telephone to get your personal information. They may lie about who they are, claiming that they're from a legitimate company and that you have a problem with your account. Or they may pose as representatives of a bank or government agency and ask you to confirm your billing information. Once they have your personal information, they can use it to commit identity theft charging your existing credit cards, opening new credit card, checking, or savings accounts, writing fraudulent checks, or taking out loans in your name.
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