I haven’t done one of these in a while, so it’s time for some commentary on the news.
TSA needs a plan, 9/11 commission says. According to CNN, the 9/11 commission is indicating that TSA needs to spend more time focusing on other forms of transportion than aviation. The TSA has indicated it is working on a plan, and appears to be focusing on mass transportation, depots, ports, and terminals. That’s all well and good, but it misses some of our major vulnerabilities. And what’s worse, due to the size of this country, it is impossible to protect those vulnerabilities. I don’t really want to go into detail about what I’m thinking about it, but think about what the effect was on commerce when a truck took out a bridge on I-40 in Oklahoma. Now think about similar structures that would be difficult to rebuild… and how many of them there are. This again emphasizes the importance of border security, for if the folks can’t get in here…
Nokia Launches Three New Camera Phones. I really wish some cell phone manufactures would stop putting the cameras and other such features in their phones. More and more places are limiting the ability to bring in camera-phones (and it is not just government installations, but theatres, concerts, etc.). We’re making it easier for folks to be able to spy, make black-market copies, or do other illicit activities (camera phones in bathrooms-ick!). Why can’t we focus on improving reception, making the phone books easier to use, etc. The cameras are useless toys.
Dog Wiggles Paw Free to Shoot Florida Man. This goes into the “What Goes Around Comes Around” category. It appears a man was trying to shoot some puppies (awww, puppies) that he didn’t want. He’s holding the dogs in his hand, when one moves his paw over, moves the trigger, and shoots the guy. He drops the gun and the puppies, and a majority of the puppies survived.
From the “where’s the mohel when you need him” department (or this guy watched too much of the first season of Nip/Tuck): Dad Allegedly Attempts Son’s Circumcision. A man, after reading the bible, decided that God commanded him to circumcize his 8 year-old son, so he went and got a knife, and tried. After he couldn’t stop the bleeding, he called 911. He has been charged with first-degree assault of a child; the boy required stitches (ouch!). What’s worse is this fellow has 9 children, has been arrested in the past for domestic violence and not enrolling his children in school. Sigh. Some people just shouldn’t be allowed to breed.
Schools, offices button down dress codes. Evidently, schools are beginning to crack down on dress. Doesn’t bother my; my daughter is in a uniform school and I’m glad. Makes the mornings easier, and makes the competition for her less. The For Better or For Worse Comic Strip has also been addressing this subject: look at the daily strips starting August 30 and continuing through September 7 (except the Sunday strip). What’s funny, though, is some of the lines in the CNN article: A memo from G.S. Schwartz & Co., a New York investor and public relations firm, included the admonishion: “”Shaving regularly also is a good idea for either sex.” That sounds like a Markov Chaney line to me. The report does note that modest attire is coming back into style: just showing how the style pendulm swings, and like the legendary Pit and the Pendulum, cuts those that don’t pay attention.
