Balance Sheet

From the December 2006 issue

(Page 2 of 2)

Despite continued fears about identity theft, the State Department moves ahead with plans for RFID-based electronic passports. Critics warn that the chips could be hacked to reveal personal data. It is unclear exactly how the new passports will improve security at the borders.

Visit Nokhchii

Officials in Chechnya consider a proposal to change the name of the war-torn republic to "Nokhchii." The point of the "rebranding effort": to erase the negative associations with the name Chechnya.

Cheer Equity

The U.S. Department of Education's Office of Civil Rights kicks off a gender equity investigation of high school sports in New York. Why? Because a parent complained that only football games and boys' basketball games included performances by cheerleaders.

Sperm Shortage

British fertility clinics suffer a sperm shortage after government authorities prohibit donor anonymity. According to the BBC, 50 of 74 clinics surveyed had little or no sperm.

Google Wall

Google wants to bring a free WiFi cloud to San Francisco, but the city government keeps blocking it. "Every meeting is like the first," one Google executive complains. The city wants 5 percent of gross revenue from the network. Officials claim the money is needed to close the city's "digital divide."

Truck Bomb

G.M. rolls out its new Chevy pickup with an "Our Country, Our Truck"" theme, complete with nuclear explosions and references to 9/11. Buy American or else.