News – Keeping an Eye on You

North America

The bombings in London have prompted a greater look at use of video cameras to watch over the nations public transport systems. Lets not be too optimistic here. Most of the benefit of cameras will be after the fact to discover who was involved, it’s unlikely that monitoring will help stop the bad guys most of the time. Personally, I have no issue on public places being monitored. It’s public, after all. So long as they keep the cameras out of bathrooms, offices, private homes, changing booths and the like, I’ll be ok with it.

The Bush administration is denying release of confidential memos that U.S. Supreme Court nominee John Roberts wrote when he worked for two Republican presidents. I say they can limit access to documents on personal matters, but anything relating to his job should be open to those who are part of the confirmation process.

Explainer details the rules for bag searching.

Middle East

The Sunni Arabs chosen to help with Iraq’s constitution will be heading back to the negotiating table. Looks like their demands for better security were met. Which is good, looks like they need better security.

Prince Turki al-Faisal, Saudi Arabia’s next ambassador to Washington, says that military forces and resources should be turned to the hunt for Osama.

Saad al-Hariri, the leader of the largest bloc in the Lebanese parliament, says they need time to decide how to deal with the Hizbollah group’s new role in Lebanon. What can they do? No matter what such groups do, the US will shun them, even as they dig into legitimate political power. It would be nice if the US would entertain the possibility of trying to draw them into more legitimacy, leaving behind their more militant ways. Like Arafat’s death, I see this as an opportunity to defeat terrorism with the pen rather than the sword.

More threats from Sharon as miltants gun down an Israeli couple.

A continuing dialogue on the US’s success or lack there of in Iraq.

General

Today’s Papers has Lance Armstrong’s triumph(and I hear rumors he might run for mayor of Texas), a suggested link between the attacks in London and Egypt, the labor unions having a spat and more in the one page news.

Amusement

X-E pays tribute to “Castle Dracula,” the legendary amusement park ride that once struck terror into every East Coast vacationer who dared enter New Jersey

The stupid things people make their pets do to get on David Letterman

New Jersey looks to add your car to long list of places where it’s illegal to smoke

Boston area residents share their “quirky collections,” including GI Joes, Mr. Potato Heads and one man reading to his 200 plastic flamingos (with pics)

Alabama votes to urge its citizens to boycott Aruba. Aruba’s economic losses estimated at tens of dollars

Barcode album art, dumbass cashiers end up costing Sony $5 a CD

Dumb: Armed robbery. Dumber: Picking a McDonalds as a soft target. Dumbest: Manager takes gun away and shoots would-be robber right in his “Big Mac”

Fark Photoshop Challenge: Photoshop this lonely ladder

Fark Photoshop Challenge: Photoshop these young jousters at the Bentleyville (Ohio) Fall Festival

Fark Photoshop Challenge: Photoshop the big discovery scientists have been hiding from us because, as a society, we’re not ready for it</A