Now picture someone making a database query to find the addresses of all the young girls in town so they can identify a bigger pool of girls who like to lounge in their gardens in summer clothing.

Probably already happened.

However, a decent auditing system would limit the number of people able to abuse the data in this way.

It's one thing to know that there are sysadmins out there with the ability to leak my data. At least the sysadmins, are, well, people like me. Who read Slashdot and have read the same things I have about why it's important not to engage in or facillitate creepiness with databases.

But when the system is open to abuse by every halfwitted clerk in the government, that's when seriously bad shit happens.

16 years ago, the mere mention of Gates or Ballmer would be enough to get me foaming at the mouth.

Today?

Gates is on track to wipe out polio. And Ballmer? What's to hate? Anti-competitive practices? Apple's a far bigger concern.

What else?

Pollution? Political corruption? Financial malfeasance? Mistreatment of employees? Microsoft does none of this.

And to boot, their product line continues to improve. Can't get the hate going anymore.

Actually, Hamas interferes with Gazan student travel far more than Israel does.

European Jews show a markedly different genetic makeup than Jews from the Arab world, so no, no "similar genetic makeup".

Ahem. Bull. Shit.

The closest genetic relatives of the Ashkenazis are the Yemeni Jews.

Iranian scientists aren't responsible for the fact Iran's leader is a giant asshole either, but that hasn't stopped Mossad assassinating them.

The Mossad has been assasinating Iranian NUCLEAR scientists. Just as Iran would do the same to Israel's nuclear scientists if they got the chance. In the meantime, Iran's medical scientists and every other variety of scientist has a lot more to worry from his own government than from the Mossad.

Because it's useful information?

Under the Americans With DIsabilities Act, Asperger's Syndrome is a get-out-of-stupid-corporate-team-building-activity-free card.

Now just try to claim, without giggling, that you're not tempted to go out and get diagnosed.

As Simon Baron Cohen puts it, (roughly) Asperger's Syndrome is the label you get if you're autistic but also intelligent enough to at least try to cope.

If you "need" a car, then you are needy. As in psycho-ex-girlfriend needy.

You have a responsibility not to be needy like that.