• Yahoo News is using Flickr today as a citizen journalist tool (and a how-to do it yourself): The front page of Yahoo! News is featuring a link to a slide show
    of photos related to today’s airport backups. It’s a nice use of a
    standard Flickr feature that can be used in such a breaking-news
    situation where lots of people are able to share photos from their
    individual vantage points. The ubiquity of cell phone cameras and the
    ability to post such photos instantly to such a service as Flickr also
    makes this “citizen journalist” tool a natural for such an event as
    today. – Rexblog


    PICTURES: Courtesy of Flickr

  • This was going to be a short comment on John Reid’s speech about
    removing our civil liberties in order to preserve them, but in the
    light of today’s drama, I extended it somewhat. It’s a fairly natural
    reaction to respond to the current security scare
    in Britain with cynicism. It was certainly my first reaction, and until
    more information comes in, I’m neither believing nor disbelieving what
    I’m hearing on the news. That Britain is facing a threat from terrorism
    is entirely believable after July 7 last year… – Blairwatch

  • You are no doubt wondering at this point who would do such a thing?
    Could it be disgruntled Swedish welfare recipients? Annoyed Tibetan
    Buddhists? Canadian bestialists p-ssed off that the state doesn’t
    extend them the “right” to have taxpayer funded parades when they marry
    their dogs? Brace yourself…it might come as a shock when BBC reveals
    it… – Crusader

  • No hair gel at Heathrow. No laptop computers, mobile phones, or iPods, or carryon bags either.
    Isn’t it sad that the first thing that comes to mind when I turn the TV
    set on is whether the Homeland Security political leash jerk is back in
    service. – Pam Spaulding, Pandagon

  • In London three years ago, I breezed into one of those phone and fax
    services where you can make copies, send faxes or place international
    phone calls from your own booth, for a fee. As I was paying on my way
    out, the Arab who ran the shop muttered the word “sl-t” under his
    breath, almost but not quite too quietly to understand. I ignored him, and have regretted it ever since. Now I wonder if he
    wasn’t one of the men carrying explosive Gatorade to the jetliners at
    Heathrow. – Nina Burleigh, Huffington Post

  • Q: Dear Font of All Knowledge, In light of the chaos so recently
    descended upon British airports, what can and what can’t we bring on
    our persons aboard an aircraft? Sincerely, Fly-Curious Female.

    A: Dear FCF, You can bring you on the aircraft and that’s about it.
    If you are leaving from the US, ON ANY FLIGHT, domestic or
    international, you can bring solids but not liquids. “…Exceptions include baby formula, bre-st milk, or
    juice if a baby or small child is travelling; prescription medicine with
    a name that matches the passenger’s ticket; and insulin and essential
    other non-prescription medicines.” Coming from the UK, though the
    policies are much stricter. Women in London are being asked to drink
    their own bre-st milk before getting on the flight to make sure it was
    legit. – Gridskipper

  • This newest terror alert and the ensuing security lockdown has come at the
    most inopportune of times for me. Tomorrow morning at 8am I have to catch a flight to
    Charlotte, North Carolina
    to attend my friend Seema’s wedding. First, let’s take a quick look at what
    I cannot bring with me:
    Liquids … that includes drinks, toothpaste,
    perfume, shampoo, hair gel, suntan lotion and similar items … I’m a
    30-year-old single male. There are fewer opportunities for me to
    meet eligible women (according to my parents). A desi friend’s wedding
    is supposed to be a money venue. But just look at my predicament. I
    cannot shampoo my hair (hotel shampoo doesn’t count) or apply even a
    modest amount of styling gel to my hair in order to achieve that proper
    look between sophistication and slackerdom… – Sepia Mutiny