Hasta La Gadget!

NEW YORK — A lawsuit against the Transportation Security Administration over its airport security procedures is heading to a court hearing next week, following a Friday order in the case that could give the government extra headaches.

Two Harvard law students brought the suit in 2010, arguing that their Fourth Amendment right against unreasonable searches was being violated by “nude body scanners” and “enhanced pat-downs.” A federal district court threw out their case, but the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 1st Circuit will hear their appeal on April 4.

In a twist, the 1st Circuit on Friday also granted a request from a group called Freedom To Travel USA to make its own appearance during the oral arguments. The group would like the courts to conduct a fact-finding mission on the intrusiveness of the TSA’s search techniques before the 1st Circuit rules directly on their constitutionality. If the appeals court agrees, it could begin to peel back some of the secrecy surrounding screening.

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Director Roland Emmerich was born in Germany, but for the last 17 years he’s had his sight (and sights) set on the White House.

“I always jokingly say that they should put a plaque somewhere in one of the rooms,” Emmerich told HuffPost Entertainment. “Or my portrait: ‘The man who destroyed the White House the most.'”

Emmerich indeed has experience causing carnage on 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. In 1996, he let aliens blow up the White House in “Independence Day”; 13 years later, Emmerich used a tsunami and the U.S.S. John F. Kennedy to destroy the executive mansion of the United States in the disaster blockbuster “2012”; and this summer, Emmerich directs the film “White House Down,” which finds Channing Tatum and Jamie Foxx teaming up to prevent the domestic enemies from toppling the presidency. The first “White House Down” trailer premieres exclusively on HuffPost Entertainment; watch it above.

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From the Boulder iJournal’s Troy Hooper:

BOULDER — Ever since genetically modified organisms entered the mainstream in 1996, Alfalfa’s has tried to keep them off of its shelves.

Seventeen years later, Whole Foods isn’t going quite that far but by 2018 it now plans to require GMO labeling in every one of its stores.

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During a visit to the island, you will be surprised by the many facets of Sicily’s enchanting landscapes, often wild and untouched, but always charming in their simplicity.
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Paul Krugman says Cyprus needs the abandon the euro immediately in order to save its economy.

“Cyprus should leave the euro. Now,” the Nobel Prize-winning economist wrote in a blog post on Tuesday.

The New York Times columnist wrote that starting a new, cheaper currency would allow Cyprus’ economy to recover more quickly. Meanwhile, he wrote, Cyprus’ economy might shrink as much as 20 percent if it stays in the eurozone. That’s because Cyprus’ days as an offshore tax haven are likely over, and the eurozone plans to force the government to implement steep budget cuts, which would hurt the economy, Krugman wrote.

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