james bond
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Political Animals: Are Critters Keeping Watch?

Sep 5, 2013
Though it may sound ludicrous, over the years many creatures have been mistaken for spies. Last week in Egypt, a stork’s migration tag was thought to be a listening device. In 2011, Saudi authorities suspected a circling vulture of being a Mossad agent. But pets on patrol are not such a far-fetched concept.

Surprise, Surprise: Ethics Reform Stalling

Feb 20, 2006
Figuring that public indignation over the Jack Abramoff scandal will soon dissipate, Republicans in Congress are dragging their feet on promised reform measures. Unfortunately, this will probably work--because an indignant populace is sort of like a villain in a James Bond movie: We vow to stamp out a source of aggravation; we put the machinery in place for doing so; we flip the switch; and then we leave the room on the nave assumption that our plan is escape-proof. It'd be funny if this weren't, like, our government we're talking about.