News – The Next Big Issue – Rehnquist

US

With Chief Justice William Rehnquist of the Supreme Court showing his mortality, a big discussion is the prospect of a Supreme court nomination for the next president. Personally, I hope that Will decides to stick it out for another four years just to spite the lot of them, no matter who gets elected. I wouldn’t stand by people talking about me as if I were already dead.

Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney describes a system by which rumor and poor coordination hamper the flow of information to states on what terror threats might effect them directly. Romney cited examples of hearing information from one source in the government and then asking another source about it — only to be told the first source didn’t necessarily have the facts straight.

U.S. District Judge James Cohn dismisses a case brought by Florida Democratic Rep. Robert Wexler and others, arguing that touch screen voting machines would create a problem without a paper trail that could be used to recount votes. “Touch-screen machines eliminate the problems confronted during the 2000 election in having humans interpret voter intent based on ambiguous markings of the voter,” he wrote in his judgement. Despite his ruling, he elaborated that, “the preferable voting system would include a paper printout review by the voter to ensure it contains his or her selections” that could be used in case of a recount. It just wasn’t his place to demand it this time around.

Democrats continue to point at instances of Bush officials using federally funded trips to battleground states to make campaign speeches. Looks fishy to me. I sure as hell don’t want them making campaign trips funded with my tax dollars.

Illinois is scouting for flu vaccine source in Europe and is seeking permission to import tens of thousands of doses to be distributed to seniors at a cost of $7 a piece.

You know why the government can’t get Middle East linguists very easily? The private sector is competing for them and paying higher wages for this coveted skill.

Who else is hogging flu shots when they shouldn’t? Brooklyn judges are, though that was supposed to remain secret.

Iraq

Witnesses say that US forces are starting to set up around Falluja. They also claim to have taken out a Zarqawi associate with one of their precision strikes, though the person in question isn’t named and his nationality wasn’t mentioned.

Seems the explosive that went missing were missing before the US rolled into the area. Of course, that this suddenly pops up now is interesting. It implies that there was some lack of communication on the matter.

International Papers note that the response by Arab press to the sentencing of Staff Sgt. Ivan Frederick has been less than that of their initial response to the scandal.

Israel/Palestine

Sharon’s pullout plan is likely to pass in Israel’s parliament despite the forces arrayed against it and interruptions in his defense of it. The vote is coming at 8 PM Israeli time. Dunno what that is in EST.

Israel’s government has allowed Arafat to leave his compound, after 2 years enforced house arrest, to receive medical treatment for a sickness. Though Palestinian officials say Arafat made no such request and won’t be leaving the complex.

Asia

No doubt Taiwan leaders are annoyed by Colin Powell talking about ‘reunification’ of China and Taiwan, when the leaders see Taiwan as an independent nation.

General

An infrared filter for camera phones to be able to take nighttime pictures had an unintended result. Under the right circumstances, it can let you see through clothes. Particularly effective with dark bikinis. Pervs, your prayers are answered. Though the filters are only available in Japan for now.

Research on the Platypus has confirmed the general consensus that they’re weird critters. An example is that they have five chromosomes for determining sex, not just one like normal critters.

Explainer details how a Tracheotomy works.

Today’s Papers has an assessment of Bush’s counter-proliferation record, a top NASA scientist’s speech bashing Bush for denying global warming, more concern over the US violating international and domestic conventions in how prisoners are treated overseas and more in the one page news.

Amusements

Strange Microsoft Knowledge Base articles

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