European Union may begin fingerprinting foreign visitors (Yes, even you!)

by Aaron Hotfelder on

Today, the European Commission is introducing a plan that would require all visitors to Europe to be electronically fingerprinted before entering and leaving the continent. Yes, even you, U.S. citizens.

The move, which would not go into effect for at least a year if approved, has been lauded by U.S. officials for its national security implications. Said one Homeland Security spokesman: “Measures like fingerprint and passenger-data collection can disrupt the ability of terrorists to move easily across international borders. They also serve to protect American citizens traveling overseas.”

But not everyone supports the new plan, according to a Washington Post article. One Dutch Parliament member questioned whether the move wasn’t an unnecessary infringement of privacy, and whether it would really make anyone safer in the end. “It seems like a steamroller. There is a new trend in particular in the U.S., the E.U. and Australia to register every single detail of our life. We’re tagged. They can follow everything we do. They know where we are. The whole question is: What for? Does this actually make the world a safer place?”

The U.S. seems to think so. Most visitors to its borders are fingerprinted and photographed already.

Which presidential candidate would you most want to travel with?

by Aaron Hotfelder on

A new poll asks the all-important question: Which of the presidential candidates would you most want to travel with? The results show Barack Obama in the lead with 44%, with voters claiming that he’d be a “cool guy to hang out with” and that he would be most likely to get discounts at hotels and restaurants. I confess to not knowing why exactly that would be the case.

Hillary Clinton trails Obama with 23%, and John McCain garnered 14% of the votes. McCain, at least one voter noted, would probably have some great stories to share. Or a joke!

Personally, I wouldn’t mind traveling around the world with erstwhile candidate Mike Gravel, who could instruct me on the finer points of how to make a sweet rap video.

The poll also asks which candidate you’d least like to sit next to on an airplane, which one needs a vacation the most, and which one looks best in a bathing suit. As you can see from the picture above, it’s obviously Obama– and I say that with, to quote Seinfeld, an “unblemished record of staunch heterosexuality.”

How about you? Which presidential candidate (past or present) would you most like to travel with?

“Tent City” in New Orleans does, in fact, exist

by Justin Glow on

When Democratic presidential nominee hopeful John Edwards dropped out of the race late last month, he stood in front of his supporters in New Orleans and talked about an unfortunate site he witnessed on the way into town. “We passed, under a bridge that carried the interstate,” he said, “where 100-200 homeless Americans sleep every night.”

In response, everyone’s favorite hatemonger, Bill O’Reilly, took a jab at Edwards by questioning whether the homeless enclave actually existed. “[W]e called the Edwards campaign and asked where exactly is that bridge so we could help those people. Apparently, they don’t know or they wouldn’t tell us. The Edwards campaign can’t pinpoint the bridge.” Watch a video of his response here.

Well, Bill, I was in New Orleans last week, and on the way out of town, I passed under a bridge where hundreds of tents were pitched. It’s known as “Tent City” and it’s a very, very real thing. I’d estimate that there were well over 500 tents stretching in both directions at this location alone.

If you’re interested in staying true to your word and helping those people, Bill, they can be found, among other places, under the I-10 bridge at Canal and Claiborne. In fact, here’s a map to help you get they’re a little quicker. People need help, and they’re waiting for you.

Bill O’Reilly can be contacted at oreilly@foxnews.com or 1-877-9-NO-SPIN during show hours.

WHS new “Tentative List”: Places to Love–Poverty Point National Monument

by Grant Martin on

For the Gadling series “World Heritage Site new “Tentative List”: Places to Love” we are covering the 14 sites that have been submitted for possible inclusion as an official World Heritage Site in the United States. The sites will not be posted in order of importance or in the order they appear on the list.

Number 6

Name of Site: Poverty Point National Monument and State Historic Site

Location: Near Epps, Louisiana

Reason for importance in a nutshell: Constructed 1700 – 1100 years ago, this may be the “remains of the largest hunter-­gatherer settlement that has ever existed.” And it’s in America’s back door!

Grant’s Take: Many people don’t think that North America is rich in archaeological history. As Poverty Point shows, however, many parts of the country are rich with anthropological, indigenous depth. This 400 acre site features a series of concentric earthen circles on which an ancient culture based their society. It’s an excellent example of historic organization and cultural stratification, and may well be America’s real first city. Sounds like reason enough to take a look.

British Olympians prohibited from criticizing Chinese government

by Aaron Hotfelder on

The British Olympic Association (BOA) has inserted a controversial clause into their athletes’ contracts preventing them from criticizing the Chinese government while participating in the ’08 Beijing Games.

The clause states only that athletes “are not to comment on any politically sensitive issues,” which would include China’s dismal human rights record and its occupation of Tibet. The move has been widely condemned as an infringement on the athletes’ rights of free speech.

Those who do not sign the contract will not be permitted to travel to the Olympics, and those that violate it while in China will be sent home, according to the BOA.

The move has already been compared to the British soccer team’s forced Nazi salute before a match in Germany in 1938, which they were told to give to come across as “gracious guests.”

UPDATE: Because of all the outrage this contract provision has caused, it looks as if British Olympic officials may reconsider the clause after all.