While world media worked tirelessly to bring us 24-7 news of the swine flu, a new global threat was developing on the Afghanistan/Pakistan border.

The Taliban has been gaining ground in Pakistan, and although Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari insists that Pakistani nuclear arsenals are “perfectly safe,” his U.S. visits with Barack Obama and his various requests for military help would indicate that you can never be too safe when you’re dealing with Taliban and Al-Qaeda forces within proximity to nuclear weapons.

Thus far, the U.S. government and the media are giving conflicting information as to whether or how safe Pakistan’s nuclear arsenals are.  Some reports note that General Petraeus feels confident in the security of the nuclear sites; others report that U.S. Central Command is worried about Pakistan’s “very existence;” and last month Obama noted his concerns that the Pakistani government is “very fragile.”

This concern has been discussed publicly before, but with capital city Islamabad under imminent threat the conversations are leading to action.  Zardari visited President Obama in Washington to ask for help from the U.S., who in turn is asking the world to pitch in to fight the Islamic terrorists.

While both the CDC and the Obama camp used Twitter for real-time swine flu updates, the President’s Twitter account is devoid of any updates on the Pakistan situation.  Whether the American people will soon be graced with real-time micro updates is TBD.

Despite earning the fury of President Obama, Mayor Bloomberg and the citizenry of New York, the White House plans to release a photo from the Air Force One flyover that took place last week.  The photo op took place after White House Military Office Director Louis Caldera authorized a misson to fly Air Force One (a Boeing 747) and two accompanying fighter jets over lower Manhattan in order to update the file photo of Air Force One.

As if flying a 747 at low altitude over Manhattan wasn’t a bad enough idea already, the Military Office took it that extra mile by not informing Mayor Bloomberg or the citizens of New York of their plan.

The result: panicked New Yorkers evacuated buildings, jammed emergency phone lines and otherwise freaked out over a sight that was regrettably reminiscent of 9-11.

It’s been reported that the photo op cost the taxpayers $328,835, although Air Force officials stated that “the hours would have been flown regardless, and the expenses would have been accrued on a different mission.”

Er… huh?

The excuse as to the expenditure seems to raise more questions than it answers, most notably whether Air Force one is like a horse that has to be ridden to keep it happy and in shape.

In any case, since the photo apparently cost the taxpayers over $300K perhaps it’s only fitting that the White House will release it for our enjoyment.  Although, given the amount of coverage of the incident, we’re not exactly lacking for photos or video.

The biggest question of all, of course, is why the White House Military Office didn’t look into a $100 program called Photoshop.  Not only can it prevent widespread panic in the streets of New York from a secretive and ill-advised low-altitude flyover, it also saves on gas.  And that’s just good for the environment.

Louis Caldera has taken full responsibility and apologized for the incident, and it is he who now wins a Fantasy T-Wearer Award with the “It Seemed Like a Good Idea…” sweatshirt, at right.

Wear it wisely, sir.

…in 140 characters or less.

Today we’re kicking off our Tweetees program, which is a pretty groovy way to win a free T-shirt via Twitter.  This is an ongoing program.

(You do need to follow us on Twitter to participate, so if you’ve been holding out from 140-character micro-blogging but you really want to win a free T-shirt, now’s a good time to become a member of the Twitterati.)

This contest will occur at random.  In short:

A theme topic or question will be presented via Twitter.  Example: “Bad Santa!” or “”What would George Washington wear?” or “Irony.”

To enter, all you have to do is find a T-shirt in our system that speaks to the topic presented.  This doesn’t mean that the T-shirt the winner chooses has to be about the topic presented; it just means that your entry should be around that topic.

When you tweet, you must include both @cafepress and #tweetees in your Tweet so’s we can find it.  You can submit your own T-shirt, which means you can also make one specifically for the theme presented as long as you submit it before the contest ends.  Be creative in your choice – both the design aesthetic and the spirit of it all count towards the creativity.  Thinking outside the box is encouraged.

Please do submit a link to a T-shirt, not a link to a section or another product.

Example: @cafepress http://snurl.com/funnytee #tweetees

You may enter once per topic, and the winner gets a free CafePress T-shirt of their choice (i.e. not necessarily the one you submitted – it’s up to you).

The official rules give you all the fine print and such.  The theme for each contest is mentioned in the tweet that kicks it off, as well as in the Very Official Rules.

The contest starts… now!

This T-shirt pretty much sums it up.  Feliz Cinco de Mayo!

A toast: Que no tomen bastante que el crudo sea su compadre de “carpool” por la mañana.

Hasta el miércoles…

With Idol down to the Final Four, and things are heating up in Hollywood.  ‘Round these parts, things are heating up for our community of designers.  Late last week we gave the green light to Idol fans to create their own American Idol T-shirts, and so far the race puts the Adam Lambert T-shirts ahead of the pack in both volume and design innovation.

That being said, the show and the T-shirt-off are still anyone’s race.  Perhaps Kris Allen and Danny Gokey fans are a little more laid-back about creative expression.  Teenage rocker Allison Iraheta is trailing in volume, but then again it aint over until it’s over.  Or until the eyelinered rock star or boy next door sings.

In the meantime, you can pay homage to your favorite Idol by designing your own Idol t-shirts.  The rules of engagement are far less stringent than those faced by Idol contestants, but there’s one major common theme: be creative.  Artistry is important.

We’ll be looking into the designs and, perhaps, predicting winners as the merchandise continues to give us clues.

Pennsylvania Senator Arlen Specter shocked the nation this week when he announced that he’d be switching political parties after 29 years and 5 terms in office as a Republican.  Specter is the 12th most senior member of the Senate, and the 5th oldest Senator.  This is the second time Specter has switched parties; he was a Democrat until the mid-60′s.

Specter cited the reason for his departure as being “increasingly at odds with the Republican philosophy and more in line with the philosophy of the Democratic Party,” then noted that “I have traveled the state and surveyed the sentiments of the Republican Party in Pennsylvania and public opinion polls, observed other public opinion polls and have found that the prospects for winning a Republican primary are bleak.”

Specter’s announcement has infuriated some (most notably the RNC), and his liberal voting record (he most recently in favor of the stimulus package) have left others with a “good riddance” philosophy.  Some more moderate Republicans, however, are concerned about losing an influential, moderate party member and what it might mean for the future of the Republican party.  As for Specter, it seems that his party switch is likely to earn him re-election.

One of the main points of concern over Specter’s defection is the numbers: Congress is now one vote shy of being a filibuster-proof Democratic majority.  (Well, sort of.)

And that, improbably, leaves the Congressional balance of power in the hands of Stuart Smalley Al Franken.  The embittered Al Franken vs. Norm Coleman Senate race recount is still officially undecided due to various legal challenges, though a recount and a trial have Franken as the winner by a whopping 312 votes.

What will happen in Minnesota and its practical effect on Congress has yet to be determined.  In the meantime, we bestow a Fantasy T-Wearer Award to Senator Arlen Specter this week, with the “Switch Hitter” T-shirt pictured above.