E-Verify is a free government service to verify, via the Internet, the employment eligibility status of newly-hired employees. E-Verify (formerly known as the Basic Pilot/Employment Eligibility Verification Program) is administered by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in partnership with the Social Security Administration (SSA).

Maryland Students Use Speed Cameras for Revenge http://www.thenewspaper.com/news/26/2632.asp Maryland Students Use Speed Cameras for Revenge Students in Montgomery County, Maryland use fake license plates to send speed camera tickets to enemies. > > Maryland plate, photo by Amy the Nurse/FlickrHigh school students in > Maryland are using speed cameras as a tool to fine innocent drivers in > a game, according to the Montgomery County Sentinel newspaper. Because > photo enforcement devices will automatically mail out a ticket to any > registered vehicle owner based solely on a photograph of a license > plate, any driver could receive a ticket if someone else creates a > duplicate of his license plate and drives quickly past a speed camera. > The private companies that mail out the tickets often do not bother to > verify whether vehicle registration information for the accused > vehicle matches the photographed vehicle. In the UK, this is known as number plate cloning, where thieves will find the license information of a vehicle similar in appearance to the one they wish to drive. They will use that information to purchase a real license plate from a private vendor using the other vehicle's numbers. This allows the "cloned" vehicle to avoid all automated punishment systems. According to the Sentinel, two Rockville, Maryland high schools call their version of cloning the "speed camera pimping game." A speed camera is located out in front of Wootton High School, providing a convenient location for generating the false tickets. Instead of purchasing license plates, students have ready access to laser printers that can create duplicate license plates using glossy paper using readily available fonts. For example, the state name of "Maryland" appears on plates in a font similar to Garamond Number 5 Swash Italic. Once the camera flashes, the driver can quickly pull over and remove the fake paper plate. The victim will receive a $40 ticket in the mail weeks later. According to the Sentinel, students at Richard Montgomery High School have also participated, although Montgomery County officials deny having seen any evidence of faked speed camera tickets. Source: Local teens claim pranks on countys Speed Cams (Montgomery County Sentinel (MD), 12/11/2008)

Robert Burns Symposium at Library of Congress > > ROBERT BURNS AT 250: POETRY, POLITICS & PERFORMANCE > > Library of Congress Symposium > February 24 & 25, 2009 > > To mark the 250th anniversary of the birth of Robert Burns, Scotland's > national poet, the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress, > in collaboration with The Scottish Government, will present a free > public symposium on Burns' life and work, as well as his impact on > America and American culture. > > Leading scholars, poets, and musicians from Scotland and the United > States will join experts from the Library of Congress in the two-day > event. The symposium will be produced by the Library's American > Folklife Center (AFC), in cooperation with the Library's Center for the > Book and the Poetry and Literature Center. > > Robert Burns at 250: Poetry, Politics, and Performance will be held in > the Mumford Room of the Library's James Madison Memorial Building. The > event is free and open to the public, but space is limited, so > registration is required. Registration information will be available > shortly. For further information contact: Nancy Groce, American Folklife > Center, Library of Congress; Phone: 202-707-1744; Email: ngro@loc.gov.

China Foodways: Warning Graphic and True. This happen in Singapore, Thailand, India, Japan, Kora. The brains are eaten raw while the monkey is still alive. Americans Killing and eating a monkey - on youtube - must be 18.

China While Hangzhou's history can be traced back more than 50,000 years to the Upper Paleolithic Period, "modern day" Hangzhou began around 2200 BC.

Largely unstudied until now, the religious festivals that attracted Chinese people from all walks of life provide the most instructive examples of the interaction between Chinese forms of social life and the Indian tradition of Buddhism. One of the most important of such annual celebrations is the Ghost Festival happening today the first day of winter in which laypeople presented offerings to Buddhist monks to gain salvation for their ancestors.

Vi Hilbert, considered by many to be the cultural leader of the Native American Northwest, died this morning. In 1994 Vi was the first Washington Native American recipient of a National Heritage Fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts.

The swinging white shreds on cherry trees in Taizi Bay of Hangzhou are different from the nearby magnolias (Yulan Hua) in color. They look like snow in first glance, but after a close look, you'll find out they're blooming cherries! So far as we know, in one more week, cherries in Taizi Bay will be in full bloom.

This France Telecom Marine cable ship based at Seyne-sur-Mer has received its mobilization order early this afternoon and will cast off tonight at 3:00 am with 20 kilometers spare cable on board.

After years of suing thousands of people for allegedly stealing music via the Internet, the recording industry is set to drop its legal assault as it searches for more effective ways to combat online music piracy.