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A great deal of the internet is populated by C2PO wanna bees. If you ever watched a Star Wars movie (and who hasn’t) you know the shiny gold robot named C3PO whose purpose is “etiquette and protocol.” The internet has developed its own system of etiquette and protocol. One of these is an abhorrence of what is referred to as “link whoring” which is defined as encouraging people to click on your website. According to this protocol the internet virgin is supposed to sit demurely on the sidelines, knees tightly together, until she is spotted by a search engine like...

President Barack Obama quietly breached years of protocol on Saturday morning by leaving the White House without the press with him. About two hours before reporters were supposed to be in position to leave with the president, Obama left the grounds of the White House. Members of the press were told he was attending one of his daughter's soccer games in northwest Washington, D.C. The White House press corps traditionally travels with the president anywhere he goes, inside and outside the country, to report on the president's activities for the benefit of informing the public and for historical record.

WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama quietly breached years of protocol on Saturday morning by leaving the White House without the press with him.

Osama bin Laden, the al-Qaeda leader, has condemned the US and other industrial economies, holding them responsible for the phenomenon of climate change. In an audio tape obtained by Al Jazeera, bin Laden criticised George Bush, the former US president, for rejecting the Kyoto pact and condemned global corporations. "This is a message to the whole world about those responsible for climate change and its repercussions - whether intentionally or unintentionally - and about the action we must take," bin Laden said. "Speaking about climate change is not a matter of intellectual luxury - the phenomenon is an actual fact."...

You’ll be hearing a lot about USB 3.0 this year. And well you should, because its potential is vast. But will system vendors step up to the plate to deliver all of USB 3’s goodness?Speeds und feeds USB 2.0 has never delivered the advertised 480 mbits/sec because that number technically correct and operationally bogus. If you have data transferring in both directions at the same time it could happen - but for USB disks it never does. That drops the theoretical transfer rate to 240 mbits/sec, but because of protocol overhead - for example, some signal redundancy to increase data...

One might think he had learned his lesson back in April after his greeting to King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia created such a brouhaha. But one would be wrong. President Obama is at it again, showing his subservient colors, as he bows to Japan’s Emperor Akihito. We’ve been told, ad nauseum, that President Obama is a brilliant man, equal to any situation, attentive to nuances so subtle only he could distinguish them (akin to the way a dog can hear things that we mere humans can’t.) And yet here he goes again, presenting himself (and by extension, his nation) as...

One of President Obama's major campaign promises was to improve the United States reputation abroad. I wonder if he meant that he was going to make America the butt of the World's Jokes. Yesterday the POTUS had another Protocol faux pas by bowing down to Japanese Emperor Akihito, the second time he bowed down to a world leader (King Fahd of Saudi Arabia was the first). By subordinating himself to other world leaders the President has damaged the prestige of the office he holds and of the country. The press in other countries are now running stories with headlines calling...

Politico: A senior administration official said President Barack Obama was simply observing protocol when he bowed to Japanese Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko upon arriving at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo on Saturday.

In a shocking display of fealty to a foreign potentate, President Obama bowed to Saudi King Abdullah at the Group of 20 summit in London last week. Mr. Obama later said in Strasbourg, France, "We have to change our behavior in showing the Muslim world greater respect." Symbolism is important in world affairs. By bending over to show greater respect to Islam, the U.S. president belittled the power and independence of the United States. The bow was an extraordinary protocol violation. Such an act is a traditional obeisance befitting a king's subjects, not his peer. There is no precedent for...

In thoughts this week we've got info on the upcoming tea parties…time for us to take to the streets folks. The shamwow guy, what a shame. We've got an actual cardinal singing of spring to us, the quip of the week, and a rant about Obama hiring and firing folks. Will you be next? Finally, the WORST inventions...ever. A cat wig?

Picture of Obama bowing to Saudi King

Like his predecessors, Obama must master the presidential protocol that has long ruled the White House. From military salutes to the presidential march to the customs by which foreign visitors are welcomed, every commander-in-chief must respect the traditions that have come to define the office.

The Military Salute Project has released the UNITED STATES FLAG MANUAL, a 45-page comprehensive summary of the history of the American Flag and the regulations and guidelines for its display and use. Three free online viewing or download options are available ... -- Adobe PDF format for printing on one side of a page -- Microsoft Word format for printing on one side of a page -- Microsoft Word format for printing as a book on both sides of mirrored pages For more information, please visit our web page at ... http://home.att.net/~militarysalute3/-------------------------------------------- Jeff Seeber, Director Military Salute Project – Woodbury,...

This will not sit well with many. Here’s a rundown of my night at convention: 2:55 p.m. — After a long walk, I reach the huge white tents where we have to go through the scanning and search routine. There are dumpsters filling up with stuff people can’t take into the stadium. I notice umbrellas and even American flags thrown in the trash cans. (Ironically, everyone inside was handed an American flag.) This story is now breaking.

2/26/2008 - BALAD AIR BASE, Iraq (AFPN) -- Although they primarily work behind the scenes, staff in the 332nd Air Expeditionary Wing protocol office works hard to ensure distinguished visitors have a positive experience while visiting the base. Protocol personnel achieve this goal by providing a variety of services to allow DVs a chance to focus more on the mission and interacting with everyone from senior leaders to new Airmen. "We develop itineraries highlighting the 332nd AEW mission, and particularly, we coordinate visits to locations that the visitor may be able to assist the wing with," said Lt. Col. Karen...

Kyoto protocol: Adapt or fry 10:00 10 September 2006 From New Scientist Print Edition. Michael Reilly Is it all over for Kyoto? Should we accept that global warming is inevitable and plan accordingly? Yes, says Frances Cairncross, president of the British Association for the Advancement of Science (BA) which held its annual festival in Norwich, UK, this week. On Monday Cairncross described the Kyoto protocol as "ineffectual" and called for the world to accept that "a hotter, drier world" is coming - even if everyone fulfils their obligations under Kyoto and pegs levels of carbon dioxide back below the 1990...

ON THE HILLNews from the Louisiana delegation in the nation's capital Sunday, September 03, 2006 By Bruce Alpert and Bill Walsh Waiting on warrant protocol The Justice Department doesn't plan to issue guidelines for executing criminal search warrants on congressional offices until after the legal wrangling with Rep. William Jefferson, D-New Orleans, is over, a top official said last week. "What is decided there (in the case) might be informative for us," Deputy Attorney General Paul McNulty said in a brief interview. **SNIP** Jefferson leads pack in postal privileges Rep. William Jefferson, D-New Orleans, leads the Louisiana delegation in sending...

One of the first things Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper did after the weekend arrests of 17 suspected Islamic terrorists in Ontario was to pick up the phone and thank President George W. Bush for American assistance in tying the alleged plot together. That was most assuredly unlike the attitude of former Liberal Prime Minister Jean Chretien, who tried to sooth and smooth Canadians fears after 9/11 by telling them since Canada was a “multicultural society” they were safe from the threats of a terrorist attack. Or from the stance of Liberal Prime Minister Paul Martin — Chretien’s succesor and...

Canada would lose international credibility and the ability to influence future climate-change negotiations if it withdrew from the Kyoto Protocol, say briefing documents prepared for Foreign Affairs Minister Peter MacKay. "Given the Kyoto Protocol's international profile . . . withdrawal from the Protocol would have important foreign policy implications," says the document, marked "secret." The analysis could explain why the Conservative government has chosen to remain within the protocol despite having fought it while in opposition, and despite deeming its targets unrealistic. "Canada would also have difficulty contributing effectively to consideration of possible future commitments by the developing countries, like...

Cherie Blair provoked surprise in the Vatican and the ire of a Roman Catholic MP yesterday by wearing all-white to meet the Pope, a privilege normally reserved for Catholic Queens.The Vatican convention is that females meeting the Pontiff should wear black, preferably with a black veil, or mantilla.   Cherie Blair with Pope Benedict When the Queen met Pope John Paul II six years ago, she observed the code meticulously.Angela Merkel, the German chancellor, wore black, but omitted the veil.By contrast, Mrs Blair, a staunch Catholic, chose to exercise the "privilege du blanc", usually granted only to the wives...