Tourists have flocked to photograph the spectacle.

Darwin in action, film at 11.

Philippines fears imminent eruption of volcano�|�Tech&Sci�|�Science�|�Reuters.co.uk

The researchers believe they are on the verge of perfecting a briefcase-size system that can be carried around and deployed easily, using laser technology to track bees that have been trained to find explosives.

I'm not sure how the hell you train bees, and the 150 yards the laser system works to isn't all that far when you're talking about a mine field, but if it's actually doable it sounds cool.

BillingsGazette.com :: Some convinced insects could be used to detect bombs

At the same time, all too frequently, members of the Bush Administration appeat to have placed political expediency above veracity. Whether it was then White House Press Secretary stating that “I spoke with [Karl Rove and Scooter Libby], so that I could come back to you and say that they were not involved ” in the leak of Valerie Plame ’s name, ” or President Bush declaring that “any time you hear the United States government talking about a wiretap it requires . . . a court order, ”there have been numerous instances where political convenience appears to have taken precedence over the principle of communicating fully, frankly, and honestly with the American people and their representatives.

350 pages asked for by John Conyers about how things work under W. It's sort of like Stalin, but with less shooting of the home populace.

The Constitution in Crisis

Prior to the ratification of the 25th Amendment in 1967, there was no provision for filling a vacancy in the vice presidency. When a president died in office, the vice president succeeded him, and the vice presidency then remained vacant. The first vice president to take office under the new procedure was Gerald Ford, who was nominated by Nixon on Oct. 12, 1973, and confirmed by Congress the following Dec. 6.

* The Vice President Richard Cheney
* Speaker of the House John Dennis Hastert
* President pro tempore of the Senate Ted Stevens
* Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice

So here's today's scenario for President Rice. George decides to be the tough guy again and goes to visit Iraq, only this time, the big blue bird gets shot down by the rebels using some of those weapons Rummy sold the Iraqis back when Saddam was in charge. Cheney has a heart attack and keels over, Denny, three hundred pounds overweight does the same, getting us to Ted Stevens, who is declared physically unable to assume the office (he has alzheimer's as demonstrated by the "pipes" thing) and we get out first black, female president...

I just thought this sounded funny.

Order of Presidential Succession

Contraceptive advocates and doctors groups say easier access to Plan B could halve the nation's 3 million annual unintended pregnancies. Opponents say wider access to the pill could promote promiscuity.

How does Plan B promote "promiscuity" any more than condoms, IUDs, the pill, or any other means of birth control? There's a logical disconnect over in the anti-Plan B group. I'm not sure if it's raw stupidity or willful ignorance, but their brains aren't wired right.

St. Paul Pioneer Press | 08/01/2006 | FDA rethinks 'morning-after pill' restrictions

"If we choose to try them, that's great. If we don't choose to try them, we can continue to hold them," he said.

Yet neither the Bush administration nor the US military wants "to remain the world's jailers indefinitely," he said.

I think he's hoping a hurricane comes through and drowns them all.

Guantanamo detainees may remain indefinitely: Gonzalez - Yahoo! News

The election between Francine Busby and Brian Bilbray was marred, as reported in detail by The BRAD BLOG over the past two months, when the Diebold optical-scan and touch-screen voting machines used in the race were sent home with poll workers on so-called "sleepovers" for days and weeks prior to the election. That breach in security was in contravention of new state and federal security mitigation requirements enacted just months ago after dozens of severe vulnerabilities were recently confirmed in those specific voting systems.

According to the new state and federal security requirements, such breaches of security effectively decertify the systems for use in California. The election contest, to be filed on behalf of several CA-50 voters on Monday will charge the votes cast on those decertified machines are, in fact, illegal votes. The casting of illegal votes in one of several ground under which a contest may be filed in California state court.

Is it just me or do banana republics do a better job with elections than we do?

The BRAD BLOG : EXCLUSIVE: ELECTION CONTEST TO BE FILED IN BUSBY/BILBRAY RACE MONDAY MORNING!!

"How good would it have looked for the government in general if we still couldn't have stopped the fourth plane an hour and 35 minutes [into the attack]?" Azzarello asked. "How good would it have looked if there was a total breakdown in communication and nothing worked right?"

This is just scary.

9/11 Live: The NORAD Tapes

It is also important to realize that a tropical cyclone is not a point. Their effects can span many hundreds of miles from the center.

And it's headed right into the Gulf.

Tropical Storm CHRIS

Marine Cpl. Phillip E. Baucus, 28, died Saturday in the province of Al Anbar, the Department of Defense said Tuesday. He was assigned to 3rd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Twentynine Palms, Calif.

A spokesman for Baucus confirmed that the serviceman, who lived in the Helena area, was the Montana Democrat's nephew.

Oh crap. I hate the war there, but I feel horrible for him. I don't and can't know what his reaction will be. All I can say is I didn't want this to happen to him and I don't want this to happen to anyone else.

Senator's Nephew Dies In Iraq, Phillip Baucus, Nephew Of Montana Senator, Killed In Combat - CBS News