I wish I had a scanner.

It's days like today that make me wish I had a scanner. The front page of the World section in today's Minneapolis Star Tribune has a close up of one of three remain Saddam Hussein statues in Iraq that looks a lot like the giant foam Olmec puppet from the old Nickelodeon gameshow 'Legends of the Hidden Temple'.

Quote of the Moment

China claims they're going to somewhat tackle computers with a clean slate, but we all know they're just going to steal technology and slap duct tape and a dragon on it.

Found in a discussion regarding the viability of scrapping the x86 platform and starting from scratch.

I, for one, am shocked.

I've read a few stories on a few blogs regarding a reported Defense Department plan to invade Venezuela. I'd like to state, for the record, that I believe the Defense Department has plans drawn up for the invasion and/or complete obliteration of every country on Earth.

Standing armies are of little use if they are not kept in fighting trim. The more a military force practices, the better off they will be when they are called to war. Likewise, those people called to plan the logistics and strategy of war would be of little use if they did not practice their craft regularly. To do so, they create scenarios and plans to deal with those scenarios. I believe that there are plans for things like conquering Canada, invading Maine and even occupying the Vatican.

The Defense Department plans for war. That's all there is to it. I, for one, am shocked that this surprises so many people.

Gravity Lenses are Super

A US and Netherlands-led team of astronomers using the Hubble Space Telescope have identified 19 new examples of gravitationally lensed galaxies.

Among the new examples are eight so-called Einstein Rings, a rare phenomenon where an image of a hidden galaxy is stretched in a complete circle around the lensing object. Only three examples of visible-light Einstein rings were previously known.
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Gravitational lensing takes place when a sufficiently massive object lies between the Earth and a light source, like a distant galaxy. The gravity of the intermediate object is strong enough that it will bend light from the object it obscures around itself, so that it is visible from Earth.

This takes the form of an arc, or of multiple images of the otherwise hidden object aro

Check out some pictures here.

Pakastani KFC Attacked

KARACHI, Pakistan Nov 15, 2005 — A powerful car bomb exploded outside a KFC restaurant in southern Pakistan on Tuesday, setting off a massive fireball that overturned cars and shattered steel and glass. Three people were killed and 22 injured.

An ethnic Baluch nationalist group from southwestern Pakistan claimed responsibility. A spokesman denied the group targeted civilians, saying it tried to hit the offices of a state-owned oil and gas company above the KFC.

Full story here.

Yeah yeah yeah, you don't need to make excuses about trying to hit a state-run oil company. Everybody knows that the Colonel is a legitimate military target.

CIA Operational Security

There'a an interesting editorial over at the Opinion Journal written by a former CIA Case Officer concerning the truth behind CIA agents and diplomatic cover. Check it out.

This line is particularly good:

You have to give credit to Langley: Overseas it may be incompetent; but in Washington, it can still con many into giving it the respect and consideration it doesn't deserve.

Kansas to teach Evolution Alternative

Read it here!

The Kansas School Board voter 6-4 to require students to learn alternatives to the theory of evolution. I imagine that if the vote went the other way that those pushing the alternative theories would have argued whether 6 was actually a larger number than 4 or possibly argued against the validity of counting.

It's a shame I'm 10 years out of high school. I'd take creationism and advanced alchemy for my electives.

This Just In!

King Abdullah of Jordan condemns the recent bombings that killed 53 people in three Jordanian hotels.

I'm betting that somewhere in his statement was the phrase 'not in my backyard'.

China Plans 2017 Moon-Walk

China is planning to send a manned mission to the moon as early as 2017, according to reports, to investigate the amount of helium-3 in the lunar soil. China first put humans in space in 2003, and has recently completed a second, longer, manned stint in orbit.

Following the success of the latest mission aboard the Shenzhou 6 craft, Chinese space agency planners say that they are now developing another four space craft with a view to building a permanent Chinese space station, and eventually going to the moon.
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China says its first lunar orbiter could be ready for lift-off as early as 2007, Reuters reports. It also plans to launch its next manned mission in 2007, which could feature China's first ever space walk.

Everybody knows that the Moon belongs to America.

Full story here.

Ali has months to live

Muhammad Ali may have just months to live, it has emerged yesterday. The 63-year-old boxing great, who has battled Parkinson's disease for 20 years, can no longer talk and is shutting himself away from those closest to him.

"Last week I punched out Muhammud Ali!"

Gay Greenpeace Vessel Destroys Coral Reef

ENVIRONMENTAL group Greenpeace says it will pay nearly $9500 in damages after its ship Rainbow Warrior II hit a coral reef at a world heritage site in the Philippines.

The accident was very regrettable, Greenpeace said, but it laid some of the blame on maritime charts showing its ship was 2.5 km from the reef.

Marine park officials assessed the area of damaged reef at 96sq m.

"This accident could have been avoided if the chart was accurate," Red Constantino of Greenpeace Southeast Asia said. "We feel responsible, however, and this amount will be transferred."

hahahaha nice boat name... Rainbow Warrior II.. hahaha (cough..gay..cough)..