One of the most fascinating pieces I've read recently is "The Web's New Gold Mine: Your Secrets," in Saturday's Wall Street Journal.
Websites many of us use frequently are gathering far more information about us than we realize - not just the...

See, this is what scares me....
Tweet, 3:18 p.m. July 30: One shot at Tops plaza.
Re-tweet, 3:45 p.m. July 30: Shooting in Tops parking lot.
Tweet, 4:06 p.m. July 30: Woman witnessed man being held up in the parking lot and honked her horn. Suspects sh

A good reason to hope that Democrats hang onto control of Congress in the November elections:
Politico is reporting that Republicans are convinced that regardless of this fall's election outcome, if even if they get enough votes to repeal the...

Many Rochester homeowners watched with amazement as homes in California, Nevada, and Florida jumped in value during the late 1990's and early 2000's - sometimes as much as 15 to 20 percent a year.
Those days are gone.
Rochester's homeowners,...

Well, I missed this one completely:
The Nation points to a particularly loopy speech by Newt Gingrich last week, in which the former Georgia pol warns about a new and imminent danger facing Americans.
Gingrich, speaking at the American...

Renewable-energy critics often claim that the projects require too many subsidies to be viable.
A recent Bloomberg report, however, shows that fossil fuels received far more in subsidies than renewables in 2008. Worldwide, renewables received...

The state Senate passed a moratorium on Marcellus Shale hydrofracking last night. I'm surprised not only that it did, but at the margin of the vote: 48 to 9. (The list of how each senator voted had not been posted on the Senate's website as of...

In a unanimous vote yesterday, New York City's Landmark Preservation Commission refused to block the plan for an Islamic mosque and community center two blocks from Ground Zero in Manhattan. It is, as Mayor Michael Bloomberg said, a moment for...

A government health report earlier this week found that the number of obese Americans climbed by 2.5 million from 2007 to 2009. More than one quarter of Americans are now considered obese.
People of color, data show, are more likely to be obese,...

Round one of the public forums on the city's nuisance points system showed that while there is a significant knowledge gap among residents about what the system is and how it works, that many people think it's good insurance against irresponsible...

Facebook, our San Francisco daughter e-mailed this morning, is alive with celebration about yesterday's court ruling.
Federal District Court Judge Vaughn Walker ruled that California's Proposition 8, banning gay marriage in that state, is...

Gubernatorial candidate Andrew Cuomo released his energy agenda today. I haven't had a chance to read it all, but the section where he calls for reinstating a power plant siting law got my attention.
In his 150-page policy book, he says that the...

I think it's only fitting that I'll attend a production tonight of Mart Crowley's landmark play "Boys in the Band." It's just two days after District Judge Vaughn Walker shot down Proposition 8, California's ban on same-sex marriage.

When I get discouraged about the state of politics, I try to remember that throughout this country's history, there've been corrupt politicians, special interests overpowering democracy, and elected officials who thrived on hostility. But the...

Rick Lazio continues to hammer away at a proposed Islamic center and mosque near Ground Zero, again calling Andrew Cuomo out because he won't investigate it.
The reason this time: a New York Post story that says the project's developers don't...

Stabbings, shootings, and robberies - it's summer in Rochester.
A 45-year-old man on Washington Street was stabbed multiple times on Sunday night. A week ago, a 49-year-old man was badly beaten with a blunt instrument, and a...

Listening to Morning Edition on WXXI this morning reminded me yet again of the mess we've made, and the pain we've caused, by our invasion of Iraq.
NPR reporter Renee Montagne interviewed an Iraqi interpreter hoping to join the millions who have...

Not the whole city. Is that what you thought I meant?
Once in awhile - not at work; never at work - I like to visit the online auction site and type "Rochester NY" into the search field, just to see what's there. I like to imagine the journey...

The Environmental Protection agency was supposed to hold a public meeting in Syracuse tomorrow about hydraulic fracturing. But now the EPA's postponed it.
There's some back story here involving fees, venues, and security details. The main...

Work more hours, take home less pay, and keep working until you're 70 - that's the message from Republicans to middle- and lower- income Americans.
Republicans began rolling out their prescription for an ailing US economy during last Sunday's...