A routine traffic stop outside of Denver turned into something much more sinister when police discovered rifles, boxes of ammo, a rifle scope, a bullet proof vest, walkie-talkies and methamphetamines…and the driver threatened Barack Obama’s life. Three more arrests followed at various hotels in the area where weapons and drugs were also found, and the suspects’ jewelry and tattoos suggest they may have ties to white supremacist groups. Police believe the comment about the candidate was more off the cuff rather than premeditated, but the weapons found in their possession were extremely disturbing in light of the previous felony convictions of the driver. Is this really something that should be played down?

As kids head back to school, those soon hitting the age of eighteen may want to consider whether or not they’d like to be packing for the Middle East rather than college. With the army struggling to fill quotas and a modern 100-years-war on the horizon, it should come as no surprise that McCain may consider bringing back the draft should he add Pennsylvania Avenue to his list of addresses. Added to statements the candidate made last September and this past June, he appears to be keeping the option on the table. The most recent statement came during a town hall meeting where a questioner remarked on the deplorable state of veterans’ health care, then added that a draft would be necessary to “…have anyone to chase Bin Laden to the gates of hell.” McCain agreed. Call it spin, call it a liberal media, but this bears very close watching.

One San Francisco man thinks so, as he stated in his blog: “Regardless of the obvious dangers, some people will ride bikes in San Francisco for the same reason Islamic fanatics will engage in suicide bombings — because they are politically motivated to do so.” Rob Anderson sued the city to prevent expanding the system of bike lanes saying they would worsen traffic conditions and had no business trying to wean the country from their cars. With rising fuel costs, cities from San Francisco to Pittsburgh are experiencing increased pressure to make room for two-wheeled travelers, but serious accidents are also on the rise as drivers struggle to adjust.

John Challis is a high school senior anticipating graduation and prom, reveling in his last few sports games and bringing a little bit of something incredibly special to Beaver County, Pennsylvania. In the two years since John was diagnosed with liver cancer, his impact has been palpable, an inspiration for his family, his coaches, his fellow athletes and students, his community. When a local church raised money for his treatments, he passed the hat to a local fifth-grader diagnosed with a brain tumor who he said needed the help more than he did. But this isn’t a kid that sees himself as anything special, just someone dealing with the best he can and his frustration seems to focus on the attitudes he sees in the world around him: “Why can’t people just see the best in things? It gets you so much further in life. It’s always negative this and negative that. That’s all you see and hear.” With the cancer spreading into his lungs, John has been given two more months to live. Thought y’all might want a very brief change of pace. UPDATE: John passed away on Tuesday.

A few weeks ago, the Saudi government decided to triple the length of its border security barrier from approximately 2,000 km ( Iraq and Yemen ) to about 6,000 km to additionally cover Jordan, Kuwait, Qatar, the UAE, Oman and Gulf and Red Sea coasts. HSRC forecasts that this first stage (radar virtual barrier) will cost about $10 billion to implement (including the procurement of radar and C3I stations). Yet the total market cost of the Saudi project will come, in our assessment to around $40 billion, and will be completed by around 2018.

Fashion options in the world of politics have for the most part only included suits, suits, the occasional pantsuit and more suits, but the Obama campaign is looking to infuse a little designer flair. Barack’s fashion designer supporters include Derek Lam, Isaac Mizrahi, Tracy Reese and Diane von Furstenberg, all of whom have broken out the needle and thread for the Illinois Senator. Don’t expect to see Chris Dodd or Harry Reid donning hipster Obama threads, but with Barack’s svelte frame and smooth moves, look for the Democratic presidential candidate to move beyond Men’s Warehouse duds.

A class action lawsuit filed in California federal court way back in 2003 that accused department stores and high-end brands of violating antitrust laws has finally reached a settlement and it will mean a second Christmas for millions of makeup and fragrance fans. The deal requires several major department stores, including Macy’s and Bloomingdale’s, distribute $175 million worth of free products starting in January 2009. Now before all you freegans skip down to Saks demanding a bag of goodies, take note that the settlement specifies particular brands and products purchased between May 29, 1994 and July 16, 2003. Register at www.cosmeticssettlement.com to receive an email alert about giveaway specifics.

The new center-right Italian government is cracking down on the mafia in its prisons by banning socializing and…singing? Prison officials were leaked information that the mobsters were passing lyrical messages to one another in their native dialects, so the ban has joined a number of harsh measures to control the formerly-privileged prison population. The prisoners are now confined to their cells 23 hours a day and limited in the number of visitors they can receive, but not to worry; they can still attend ice cream making classes.

While the United States has witnessed the Pajama-fication of America emerge from college campuses into the mainstream, it seems Brits have encountered their own uber-casual fashion trend with the tracksuit chic look. London’s “Fashion V Sport” exhibition examines the evolution of the track suit from sportswear to couture, arguing that the former gym-only attire has gained fashion acceptance as top designers cross into the world of work-out wardrobes. Sporty designs from Prada, Stella McCartney, Vivienne Westwood and Chanel sit alongside big names in sportswear like Nike and Adidas, illustrating the increasing interaction between high-end fashion and mainstream sports looks.

Perhaps it’s time to look beyond lip-syncing and animation at the Olympic games; Beijing has set up protest zones in three city parks…but isn’t accepting any applications. Moreover, there have been several known cases of applicants being hauled home, four potential protesters being detained by police, and others discouraged by intimidation tactics; public security officials deny knowledge of any detainees. Gao Chuancai, who has been trying to protest government embezzlement since 1995 was shocked to hear that grievances would be allowed during the games, but has once again hit sky-high bureaucratic walls and a phone call to his home district where he previously suffered brutal beatings: “Whatever happens, happens. I don’t care if I die.”

Perhaps the next generation isn’t as enlightened as previously believed. A researcher from the University of Adelaide surveyed young people from ten countries and found, for the most part, a significant disparity between girls and boys regarding who should decide whether or not to have a child and who should care for them. “While performing housework and childcare was seen as nothing short of emasculation for many of the young men in my study, this does not prevent them from claiming their rights in relation to abortion decisions,” said Professor Chilla Bulbeck. Especially noteworthy was the exception in China, where both sexes believed it was a woman’s right to choose.
(Photo Credit: Justin Horrocks /iStockphoto)

Some residents of Marburg, Germany — former haunt of the Brothers Grimm — are feeling the heat of recently-passed environmental initiatives requiring the installation of solar panels. Already an environmental leader, the hefty fines levied on homes that refuse to install panels when insulating renovations or roof repairs are done are causing a backlash from those who believe the rights of property owners are being violated. Deputy mayor, Franz Kahle, points out that building codes have always existed and exceptions are available for hardship cases. One politician noted, though, that, “It’s unfortunate that they decided to compel people, because I think you breed opponents that way rather than friends of solar energy.”

The American Bar Association’s intellectual property law group gathered recently at its annual meeting in New York and took up the issue of federal copyright legislation for fashion designs, sifting through various resolutions that look to knock out knock-offs. The group ended up endorsing the Design Piracy Prohibition Act, that reads, in part: “Believing that there is sufficient need for greater intellectual property protection than is now available for fashion designs, [the group] supports, in principle, enactment of federal legislation to provide a new limited copyright-like protection.”

Computer companies aren’t the only ones outsourcing to India; surrogacy is becoming a booming business on the subcontinent, but one family is finding out what a nightmare legal snags between countries can become. The parents of little Manjhi — the result of her father’s sperm combined with a donor egg and surrogate mother — divorced before she was born and neither mother wanted anything to do with her. Fortunately, her father and grandmother were on the scene immediately following her birth, but Indian law refused to release the child without a mother present. Hospitalized for hunger and dehydration, her grandmother refuses to leave her side: “I will not leave India without her, no matter what.” Three cheers for Granny, but hopefully the legal systems will remember that a wee little one is waiting to go home.

It’s a sad day when the National Enquirer can tell the world “I told you so.” The magazine that has earned a reputation as an unreliable gossip publisher reported back in December 2007 about the alleged affair between then presidential candidate John Edwards and Rielle Hunter. The former North Carolina senator still denies fathering a child with 44-year-old Hunter, but admitted to ABC News that he did indeed carry on an relationship outside his marriage and lied about it repeatedly. Well, there’s one name off Barack Obama’s potential VPs list.

John McCain’s campaign has now politicized and embraced Paris Hilton, using her in an ad attacking Barack Obama. But in September 2007, John McCain told MSNBC Hardball host Chris Matthews that the public shouldn’t pay so much attention to Paris: “This [the OJ trial] and Paris Hilton are the kind of issues that seem to get a lot more attention than maybe some of us think they deserve.”

Remember those passionate members of the high school debate team everyone thought were going places? They may have to make room for the sarcastic bullies in the modern political arena as we near the 150th anniversary of the Lincoln-Douglas debates. Gone are the days of answers fraught with careful consideration as politicians forsake positions that might be best for the country in favor of sound-bytes and hard line rhetoric. “I don’t entirely blame the candidates; we are getting what we crave,” says Prof. James Ferrell of the University of New Hampshire. “Who wants to listen to three hours of debate on abortion or the Iraq War when we can have Rush Limbaugh or Jon Stewart tell us what’s going on?” Our loss.

Stephen Colbert’s run for the White House is one thing, but Chris Matthews may try walkin’ the talk in the 2010 Senate race. Recent polls in Pennsylvania indicate that Matthews is only 5 points behind the 78-year-old Arlen Specter, who, despite an ongoing battle with cancer, plans to run in 2010. Matthews leads Specter in the Philadelphia and Pittsburgh areas, especially among democrats and independents. Although Matthews is keeping a lid on his plans, the fact that his contract with MSNBC ends in 2009 and the large amount of time he spent in the state before the Democratic primary seem to indicate his interest in jumping off the screen and into the fray.

A Thai distributor is jerking “Grand Theft Auto” off shelves after an avid 18-year-old player confessed to robbing and murdering a cab driver trying to reenact parts of the game. The perp was caught with the injured driver in the backseat when he tried to steer the cab backwards on a Bangkok street. Police noted no mental abnormalities in the young man and his parents described him as “polite and diligent,” but he could face the death penalty if found guilty of the crime. The Thai government is calling for a crackdown, which would include a ratings system and restricted hours for playing the game in arcades.

Sure, there’s a lot of gauge-wagging going on these days, but it could also be used to symbolize that Americans can do something immediately to reduce dependence on foreign oil. Drilling proponents in the Bush administration claim that 1% of our energy needs could be met by 2030 with offshore drilling finds (200,000 bbl. per day by 2030 of the 20 million bbl. used daily in America), but by simply filling tires correctly and getting tune-ups — as suggested by Obama — mileage improves by 3% and 4%, respectively; get everyone on board and there’s a pretty serious decrease in demand with nary a lifestyle change in sight. So, maybe there’s hope for us after all.

Since the Americans With Disabilities Act was passed in 1990, much has been accomplished for people with disabilities, but Michelle Colvard of Houston says she’s thrilled to continue that fight with crown in hand. A lifetime of misunderstandings and her executive position in the Houston mayor’s office has shown her that employer discrimination and public misperceptions remain in the American psyche. In response to a successful autograph-signing she gave as Ms. Wheelchair Texas, she explained, “I grew up with my peers treating me a certain way. Back then, if those kids would have been exposed to … a strong, confident, attractive woman who just happened to have a disability — I don’t think they would have treated someone who is in a wheelchair differently.”

Alexander Solzhenitsyn, legendary Russian author of the Gulag Archipelago and One Day In The Life Of Ivan Denisovich died today in his Moscow home. A decorated Soviet officer in WWII, Solzhenitsyn fell out of favor for criticism of Stalin and was forced into exile, but went on to become a Nobel laureate for his revealing writings about Russian life under Stalin’s regime. Reports differ as to the cause, being either heart failure or a stroke, but the author had been suffering from high blood pressure in recent years.

There’s a lot of talk about unequal pay, but when the job requires long hours, the American Sociological Association has discovered that women are far more likely than men to be on the losing end. Women are far more likely to quit their jobs if their husbands work long hours, though when the wife is in the same position, it has no impact on the husband. This scenario is especially true of professionals with children, which some say indicates that women do not expect as much support for their careers as their husbands. Guess we haven’t come as far as we thought, eh?
(Photo Credit: Dan Tero/iStockphoto)

Been putting off reading up on the candidates? You may want to wait until their comic book biographies hit the stands October 8. Don’t expect any superhero antics, though, since the comics will mirror the candidates’ lives as culled from biographies, autobiographies, newspaper stories and documentaries, both good moments and bad. The authors maintain that they’re not taking sides, just trying to get the word out: “We’re not in the business of doing textbooks, but I think comic books really do have the great potential to inform and teach and do more than just standard superhero comics,” stated Scott Dunbier, an editor involved in the project. Copies can be pre-ordered via the IDW website, but for the tech-savvy, they’ll also be available by phone through uClick.

So, you type in your bank’s web address, are taken to the website and enter your password info; no problem, right? Wrong. Domain names are generally user-friendly terms that are then translated into numerical designations the computer understands. The possibility of manipulating the system so a domain name can be redirected to a fake site means that users would never know they’d been conned until it was too late. Veteran internet security expert, Dan Kaminisky, discovered the flaw in February and secret meetings began in March with folks like Microsoft and Cisco. After waiting for the internet community to take action, he believed that informing the public about the serious security issue was worth the risk of hackers beating companies to the punch: “I play this game to protect people…You don’t get to tell the river you need more time until it floods.”