Government

TSA Detains Possible Terrorist Armed With Flashcards

Here's something else to add to the Transportation Safety Administration training manual.  It's a simple six-point terrorist screening test I have just devised: If you notice that a traveler is carrying Arabic-English flashcards, and that person already speaks fluent English,…



Dangerous Cub Scout on No-Fly List

Michael Winston Hicks is the name of a suspicious individual who is on "the list," according to the TSA. It is also the name of 8-year-old "Mikey" Winston Hicks, left, who according to a January 13 New York Times article…


Re: The Underpants Bomber

I was planning to write something like this Christopher Hitchens piece in Slate, and probably would have if anybody involved with my flight home yesterday had refused to let me go to the lavatory, to get up for any reason during…


Vatican Declares Papal Copyright

Because of what it referred to as a "great increase of affection and esteem for the person of the Holy Father" in recent years (I assume that's a rhetorical flourish, because I don't recall the public really dumping on John Paul…


First “Brüno” Lawsuit Filed

Sacha Baron Cohen, who was repeatedly sued by people who were unhappy with the way he depicted them in "Borat" (a group that includes most people who were depicted in "Borat"), has now been sued by someone unhappy with his…


The Answers to Your Questions About Wisconsin’s State Symbols

Okay, I know that many of you are probably going nuts trying to remember Wisconsin's official state "song, flower, bird, tree, fish, state animal, wildlife animal, domestic animal, mineral, rock, symbol of peace, insect, soil, fossil, dog, beverage, grain, dance, ballad,…


Bill Would Designate Bacterium as Wisconsin’s Official State Microbe

Boing Boing reports that the Wisconsin legislature is considering whether to designate Lactococcus lactis (right) as the state's official microbe.  If it passes, Assembly Bill 556 would honor Lactococcus for the crucial role it plays in the Wisconsin economy (it turns milk into…