New York City will begin making random checks of bags and backpacks at subway stations, commuter railways and on buses, officials announced today in the wake of a second wave of bombings on the London transit system. The checks will begin on Friday morning.

Don't forget to wear your "i do not consent to being searched" t-shirt this morning.

In New Security Move, New York Police to Search Commuters' Bags - New York Times

Could it be part of a greater geopolitical game? In other words, what President Bush is really worried about in Asia is North Korea. He does not really care about the RMB; he just pretends to care. This allows him, in negotiations with the Chinese, to say: "I will fold on the RMB, if you give North Korea up; in that way, you guys can give up your embarrassing ally without losing face".

North Korea IS China. Intrigue.

The Big Picture: Playing With Fire?

What is not uncertain, however, is that our Current Account
Deficit has granted a degree of control and authority to another sovereign
nation over our own economy. The net results of that may be determined over the
coming decade.

Buffett (who I've come to dislike inspite of my respect for him) warned of this in 2003. Bill Gross specifically predicted this for 2005.

The Big Picture: Federal Reserve Responsibilities Outsourced to China

BEIJING (AP) -- China dropped its politically volatile policy of linking its currency to the U.S. dollar but retained controls on its exchange rate, switching the link to a basket of foreign currencies in a move that could push up the price of Chinese exports to the United States and Europe.

China dumps dollar in favor of basket of currencies

Their different approaches include financial warfare (subverting banking systems and stock markets), drug warfare (attacking the fabric of society by flooding it with illicit drugs), psychological and media warfare (manipulating perceptions to break down enemy will), international law warfare (blocking enemy actions using multinational organizations), resource warfare (seizing control of vital natural resources), even ecological warfare (creating man-made earthquakes or other natural disasters).

This isn't just loose talk. There are signs of this strategy being implemented. The anti-Japanese riots that swept China in April? That would be psychological warfare against a major Asian rival. The stage-managed protests in 1999, after the U.S. accidentally bombed the Chinese Embassy in Belgrade, fall into the same category.

China's stealth war on the U.S.

Wikipedia has some of the best resources on the the history of the court. In addition to the one about about the court itself, here are a few other great starting points that might be handy to have around: List of all past justices. Defeated nominees. List of notable cases (or at least ones with information about them in Wikipedia).

This page lists films that use the word fuck more than 100 times. The first lists films ordered by total number of uses of the term (or its variants). The second list is a chronological ordering of the "record holding" film.

Wikipedia: List of films ordered by uses of the word

President Bush will select U.S. Circuit Judge John Roberts Jr. to replace retiring Justice Sandra Day O'Connor on the nation's highest court, CNN has learned.

And now the real fireworks display starts..

CNN.com - Bush nominates Roberts for Supreme Court - Jul 19, 2005

I am honored to be with you today at your commencement from one of the finest universities in the world. I never graduated from college. Truth be told, this is the closest I've ever gotten to a college graduation. Today I want to tell you three stories from my life. That's it. No big deal. Just three stories.

Steve Jobs is a real amazing character. He is someone I'd love to meet.

'You've got to find what you love,' Jobs says

A Colorado congressman told a radio show host that the U.S. could "take out" Islamic holy sites if Muslim fundamentalist terrorists attacked the country with nuclear weapons.

"Well, what if you said something like -- if this happens in the United States, and we determine that it is the result of extremist, fundamentalist Muslims, you know, you could take out their holy sites," Tancredo answered.

"You're talking about bombing Mecca," Campbell said.

"Yeah," Tancredo responded.

"What is near and dear to them? They're willing to sacrifice everything in this world for the next one. What is the pressure point that would deter them from their murderous impulses?" he said.

There you have Republican Rep. Tom Tancredo of Littleton, Colorado. Best known for its school shootings..

CNN.com - Congressman suggests bombing Mecca to retaliate for nuclear terror - Jul 18, 2005