Print edition for January 6, 2008

They’ve got your number?: With hardly any effort, The Washington Post was able to find the Social Security numbers of several prominent Americans, including former Secretary of State Colin Powell and former Dallas Cowboys quarterback Troy Aikman.

Vegas wants a tech industry, but it’s slow going: By Alexandra Berzon; For many technology companies here, the solution is to have satellite offices in other places.

‘John School’ teaches men the uglier facts of life: By Abigail Goldman; One guy caught a ride from his wife. She even walked him into the classroom, which caused the other students to shift in their seats and stare hard at the floor. They wouldn’t have been so painfully uncomfortable, perhaps, if this weren’t the First Offender Prostitution Program, otherwise known as “John School.”

CIA under investigation: Attorney General Michael Mukasey has launched a criminal investigation into the CIA's destruction of videotapes showing the 2002 interrogations of two suspected terrorists -- a probe that very well could look beyond the CIA to determine whether other U.S. government officials also were involved.

Young, but ‘predators’ for life: By Abigail Goldman; New sex-offender laws, meant to protect, may instead ruin lives and increase risks

Brian Greenspun on the ‘why’ of responsible journalism: By Brian Greenspun; Without the “why” what's the point? So goes an advertising campaign launched this winter by the Las Vegas Sun. It is designed to give readers and potential readers of our newspaper a substantive reason for picking up Las Vegas' independent voice. I liked the phrase when I heard it and now that the Tribune Co. acquisition has been announced, along with my family's role in it, I like it even more.

Delayed response times: A study published Thursday in the New England Journal of Medicine shows that hospitals can be slow to respond to patients who suffer cardiac arrest.

Ladies of the light: By Kristen Peterson; Two yeas ago Joe Clark, an antiques collector and longtime prop artist for Siegfried & Roy, was dressing a vintage mannequin with a vintage lampshade and flower petals made of abalone.

Mayor loses pounds but hangs on tight to booze: By Joe Schoenmann; No matter how painful it is to walk, with the potential for that pain growing with each additional sip of booze, Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman says he still won’t give up the sauce.

Porter urged to get full picture on nuclear waste in France: By Lisa Mascaro; The idea is so attractive: Rather than send the nation's used nuclear waste to Yucca Mountain, recycle it. Use it again and again, just like a plastic water bottle, until it can be thrown away.

Owners of racy news racks get a breather while they sue: By Tony Cook; Operators of news racks stuffed with erotic publications on the Strip made good on their threat to sue Clark County when they filed a lawsuit Dec. 26. Merry Christmas, commissioners!

Looking ahead on the housing slump, resort openings and the gaming tax: By Jeff Simpson; The housing slump and the accompanying spike in foreclosures have been the biggest personal finance story for more than a year, and I don't expect things to get much better this year, if they improve at all.

Jack Sheehan recalls the spirit of a student who overcame exceptional hardship to attend UNLV: saxo-archive; can never drive past UNLV on Maryland Parkway without visualizing the ethereal image of a pretty blonde girl and her stately golden retriever waiting patiently to cross the street. It's been 30 years, and the memory of them poised on the curbstone is as vivid as yesterday.

Obama’s momentum tough new test for Clinton: By J. Patrick Coolican; Hillary Clinton's Nevada campaign is trying to put the best face on her loss in last week's Iowa caucuses.

Vegas misses out on millions as parking tickets go uncollected: By Joe Schoenmann; Over the past three years, nearly as much money in parking tickets went unpaid in Las Vegas as was collected. From 2005 through 2007, the city collected $8.7 million in parking ticket revenue. But over the same period, $8.1 million in parking fines went unpaid, with the largest unpaid penalty for one person topping $5,000.