Federal judge: new money for blind

Reuters is reporting that a federal judge ordered U.S. currency changed so the blind can tell bills apart. The blind should have no trouble with these:

Christmas season is for shopping and layoffs

From Newsbusters: In the media, holiday shopping = good, Christmas shopping = bad. Also, holiday layoffs = bad, Christmas layoffs = good.

Animal rights morons out in full force on Turkey Day

I should have known these idiots would still be at it. Anti-fur protesters are messing with shoppers at a Southern California mall.

San Diego Union-Tribune:

---

“For every fur coat made, an average of 40 animals had to die,” said Pease, who added the animals raised for fur are kept in tiny cages and often suffer painful deaths by gassing or electrocution.

Representatives with Burberry, Bloomingdales and Neiman Marcus did not return requests for comment.

A representative from the Coronado-based Fur Commission could not be reached for comment. However, according to the commission's Web site, fur production is regulated by the American Veterinary Medical Association and must adhere to state animal cruelty laws.

---

Also, PETA is celebrating Thanksgiving with a special report, front and center on their website, entitled "PETA Undercover: Cruelty at Butterball."

---

Butterball workers were documented punching and stomping on live turkeys, slamming them against walls, and worse during an undercover investigation at a Butterball slaughterhouse in Ozark, Arkansas.

One Butterball employee stomped on a bird's head until her skull exploded, another swung a turkey against a metal handrail so hard that her spine popped out, and another was seen inserting his finger into a turkey's cloaca (vagina).

---

PETA is so horrified about the treatment of Butterball turkeys that they've included a link to a web form for automatically submitting a letter to your Congressman. I changed their suggested complaint to something more appropriate before sending.

PETA's original:



My version:

Palestinian murderers finally understanding?

Say it isn't so! Are the Palestinian murderers finally beginning to understand why Israel is attacking them? This is almost too good to be true, and I am quite certain it means nothing. An entire culture indoctrinated to breathlessly desire the death of Jews couldn't possibly understand that if they simply quit shooting rockets at Israeli civilians and blowing themselves up, barbarically, in civilian areas, the Israeli attacks will cease.

Reuters:

---

Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh said on Friday most Palestinian militant groups would halt their rocket fire against Israel if the Jewish state stopped its attacks against the Palestinians.

---

UPDATE: The Palestinian murderers broke the ceasefire within four hours of its commencement. Are you surprised? (careful, that question is an intelligence test). From AP via LGF:

---

The surprise truce was supposed to take effect at 6 a.m., but in the four hours that followed, 11 rockets were fired from Gaza at Israeli towns and villages and some Palestinian militants threatened to keep up the attacks.

---

U.S. flag 'represents genocide'

Orange County College has voted to reinstate the pledge of allegiance, but that's not even half the story. If you'll remember, the school made national headlines when they banned the pledge in the first place (more info).

The real problem will knock your socks off, via the Daily Pilot newspaper of Newport Beach:

---

Nonetheless, the Monday meeting involved more than its share of fireworks, as the speakers touched on the sacrifices of American soldiers for the flag, the national reputation of OCC and even whether European settlers committed genocide on the Native Americans.

Trustee Coyotl Tezcatlipoca, who voted along with Ball against the final decision, said he had a personal contention with the American flag but believed that others should be allowed to salute it during the public comment session.

"That represents genocide to me, and I'm not going to pledge allegiance," he said, in a statement that drew a number of angry retorts from the audience. "But I respect anyone who wants to stand up and do it."

---

To this college trustee, the U.S. flag represents genocide.

When a group of people possessing a superior culture, with the beginnings of genuine scientific discoveries, battle ships, and modern concepts of law and order, arrive on the shores of a continent inhabited by people who are basically camping, the result would be obvious. When a superior culture wipes out the inferior one, it doesn't mean the superior culture is awful. It has been going on throughout history, and no apologies are necessary.

Jimmy Carter's own private rabbit hole

Jimmy Carter used to be a decent man, even if I disagreed with his politics. From Habitat for Humanity to the NDI, the organizations he associates himself with do much good for the world. I wonder how and exactly when he took a wrong turn. Jimmy has become a supporter of some of the worst tyrants in the world, and rather ignorantly extols the virtues of cultures that spawn suicide bombers. Has he succumbed to senility?

Alan Derschowitz has called Jimmy to task in a new article published at Huffington Post, a site that normally idolizes liberal fools like Jimmy. I learned of it via LGF.

---

I like Jimmy Carter. I have known him since he began his run for president in early 1976. I worked hard for his election, and I have admired the work of the Carter Center throughout the world. That's why it troubles me so much that this decent man has written such an indecent book about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

---

How is it that otherwise rational people lose all perspective when it comes to Jews? What's the deal? Israel is the only democracy (and the only stable, prosperous country) in the Middle East. And they're our ally. To support Israel's enemies, who shoot rockets into civilian areas while shielded by still more civilians, and encourage their populations to become suicide bombers, is very, very strange.

Thanksgiving recipe

I want to share with you my favorite Thanksgiving recipe.

Dogs at 7-11

1. Go to 7-11

2. Choose two moist, warm hot dogs. Don't let Habib select the dogs. You must do it.

3. Choose two buns. Again, decline Habib's guidance.

4. Load each dog with mustard, relish, onions, and a few drops of cheese from automatic dispenser. Chili is optional.

5. Get a 64 oz. Slurpee.

6. Pay.

7. Enjoy.

New interview with Steve Irwin

Hector Vex posted his interview with Steve Irwin from hell:

---

Me: So Steve, how's it been down there? And I can't quite understand how you ended up down there and not up there. I mean, you did a lot of great things in your life, for animals and mankind.

Steve: Yeah, well mate, you'd think that. But there was a lot with the animals that the cameras didn't catch. Crickey, those were some wild times!

Me: That's a bit creepy.

Steve: Ey, you asked. Anyways, I got something to show you today! I've got here a rare breed of Demonous Extractica, your common household demon. As you can see, he's a curious fellow, as he's going through my stuff like it's his. Well, I'm going to teach this fishy bastard that just because we're in hell, it doesn't mean he can go through my shit. Thankfully, this breed of demon is only 3' 6".

---

Winning is everything

Marc at Full Throttle has graciously acknowledged my accurate prediction of Jimmie Johnson winning the NASCAR Nextel Cup. I've always been a Jeff Gordon fan (stop your booing, dammit), but Jimmie is a strong second.

No Jackson, no Hobbit

Have you ever noticed that movies are just shades of good novels? I realize it's a different medium, but movie versions of books are usually very sad. Peter Jackson took a mammoth story, The Lord of the Rings, and was almost completely faithful as he transformed it for the screen. And that's why I won't see The Hobbit if it's directed by anyone other than Jackson.

Reuters:

---

Where is Frodo when you need him? Director
Peter Jackson has been told he will not be hired to direct a movie based on J.R.R. Tolkien novel "The Hobbit," despite the nearly $3 billion global box office success of his "Lord of the Rings" trilogy, according to a letter Jackson wrote to fan site TheOneRing.net.

---

Borat good and bad

Borat sucks big time. I can't believe I wasted my money on it. Fortunately I did take away something good. The movie showed me how awful the people of Kazakhstan are, and how backward the country is. I have cancelled my plans for an extremely expensive vacation to Kazakhstan.

Biggest racing stories of 2006

Tonight's "Wind Tunnel" with Dave Despain fielded comments about the biggest stories of the racing season. I've compiled mine below in order of importance.

1. Michael Schumacher retires. Love him or hate him, the world will look on the Schumacher era as pure greatness for generations. He's the best driver in the history of the world. (Yes, he's better than Pele...I mean Senna)

2. Nicky Hayden wins the MotoGP championship. The Kentucky Kid dominated U.S. motorcycle racing so thoroughly that I noticed him, never having followed cycle racing. When he jumped to MotoGP I followed his career, and got to see him win it all this year. In the penultimate race his team mate, Danny Pedrosa, crashed him out, all but ending his hopes. In the final race, Valentino Rossi was knocked out, and Hayden claimed his championship. Fantastic.

3. AJ Allmendinger. The only American in Champ Car, AJ got fired from Rusport, immediately got picked up by Forsythe, then won three in a row against the likes of a dominant Sebastien Bourdais (who went on to win another championship). I have rarely been this entertained. It was uplifting to watch A.J. keep winning. Then, he jumps ship and signs a three year deal with Toyota to race NASCAR (after categorically denying he was going to race stock cars).

4. Juan Pablo Montoya goes to NASCAR. After a difficult year and no job for 2007, JPM ditched his F1 ride at MacLaren Mercedes for Chip Ganassi's NASCAR Nextel Cup team. Watching his brief entrance into stock car racing in 2006 has been interesting. I expect '07 to be even better.

Now that he's known as Billy Bob Montoya, I can't help but picture two Columbian guitarists sitting on a Bogata street corner, ponchos blowing in the wind, plucking Dueling Banjos.

Will Billy Bob develop a southern accent?

5. Denny Hamlin's stunning rookie performance. This kid races like a veteran in the most competitive auto racing series on earth (NASCAR Cup).

6. Jimmie Johnson finally wins a Cup championship. I placed this way down on this list because he and crew chief Knause have been the best duo in NASCAR four years running, so their victory was no surprise. I'm thrilled Johnson won, partly because I picked him immediately after he fell behind in the Chase.

7. Sprint cars split into two series. This is the dumbest thing in American racing since IRL/Champ Car split. I hear the dirt series just rejoined. If true, it's the smartest thing possible.

8. IRL still sucks. Watching cars run with the throttle mashed onto the firewall for an entire race, on an oval, is pathetic. Ninety percent of IRL races suck as bad as Daytona and Talladega in NASCAR. We have too many choices now, with great TV coverage, to watch a dull series. Marco Andretti, especially at Watkins Glen, is the only bright spot, but he needs to move to Champ Car before I'll watch him again.

9. Champ Car is still the best racing in North America. I love NASCAR Cup because it's competitive (and for other reasons), but Champ Car is better. From the quality of drivers and tracks and cars to the black-and-red tire scheme, this series offers the best TV watching. Champ Car also makes F1 look dull and uncompetitive -- although that's not difficult.

Sebastien's victory in Mexico to end the season was spectacular. There has been no passing like that in F1 in 17 years. If I had a choice to see an F1 race in Monte Carlo or any Champ Car race, I'd pick Champ Car.

Dutch Muslims uppity over burqa ban

Adherents to 8th century ideals are angry that their women took one more step away from slavery, as Dutch Muslims protest the new burqa ban.

The niqab and beekeeper outfits are still allowed under law.


Story at Breitbart, via a dental blog.

Improving NASCAR Nextel Cup

Rotating All-Star event

The all-star event should rotate to different tracks each year. At a minimum, it should alternate between East and West coasts. Its present location is close to NASCAR's home base, which enhances the exhibition angle, but shouldn't the race be about the fans, which are nationwide?

Still starts

It baffles me that F1 cars, plus MotoGP and many other series, have competitive still starts (sometimes called standing starts), while NASCAR lets the cars slowly pick up speed. I've always said that NASCAR is horse racing at 200 mph. I want to see the horses charge out of the gate.

Race in the rain

Even motorcycles race in the rain! If teams are worried about ruining expensive race cars, they can do what most other forms of racing do -- use rain tires and hire drivers skillful enough to keep from crashing in the wet. Racing in the rain can be spectacular; the two most exciting F1 races this year, by far, occurred in the wet.

Fix aero

This is allegedly in the works with car of tomorrow. I am under the impression that in the current environment a Cup driver needs to have more skill with aero than mechanical grip. It's not much fun watching a group of aerodynamics experts competing for wins.

More road courses

I love ovals, don't get me wrong, but we need at least four road courses. One should be in the post-season. Infineon is a great model for Cup because it's short, not terribly difficult, and most of the track is visible from anywhere in the stands.

Better race announcers

I don't dislike the Fox or NBC folks, but it could be much, much better. Each race this year had at least one incident or wreck where I saw the cause immediately, but the commentators were baffled or ignored it. The benchmark is SPEED's F1 broadcasting crew of Varsha, Hobbes, and Matchet.

Fuel injection

Using carbeuration for internal combustion engines is only slightly more advanced than riding horses. It's bad enough that Cup engines use pushrods, but carbs? Switching to fuel injection wouldn't break the unwritten rule of minimizing technological development in NASCAR.

Ditch Daytona and Talladega

Mark Martin and most other NASCAR drivers agree that Daytona and Talladega are pathetic tracks to race on. I'd like to see drivers and TV viewers boycott both of these superspeedways. I watch NASCAR on TV to see extremely competitive racing, not ... whatever it is we see at these two tracks. Just say No to Daytona and Talladega.

Prosecutor-pedophile commits suicide

A prosecutor who allegedly solicited sex with a 13-year-old boy committed suicide when confronted. The guy fell for a Dateline NBC sting to catch online predators. The show is fantastic, by the way. The pedophiles are EVERYWHERE.

Times of London; emphasis added:

---

Despite the publicity, the internet predators continue to turn up — sometimes even after worrying out loud that their supposed target might be part of a televised sting. So far, the series has caught about 170 men. The Murphy sting lured 21 men to a large rented home over a four-day period, thinking that they were going to have sex with 13 and 14-year-old boys and girls they had met on the internet.

Neighbours noticed strangers hiding cameras in Hallowe’en scarecrows and pumpkins around the house, but did not realise what was happening until the arrests started to take place. Mark Roddy, the owner of the house, who lives in California, said that he let it through a leasing agency and had no idea that NBC had rented it.

Those arrested ranged in age from 23 to 58 and included a pension manager, photographer, engineer, waiter and a teacher with 23 years’ experience. Police are still investigating another 90 suspects identified in the sting.

One man who did not show up at the house as planned was Louis “Bill” Conradt, a long-time local prosecutor whose job included bringing sex offenders to justice. Mr Conradt, who allegedly solicited sex from a decoy posing as a 13-year-old boy online, shot himself when police turned up at his house on November 5.

---

All pedophiles should take this guy's lead and commit suicide.

Saddam Hussein escapes

I had a dream last night that I was in charge of Saddam Hussein until his hanging. He somehow escaped and I chased him through some woods with a .45 in one hand and a tazer gun in the other. When I cornered him, I couldn't figure out which gun was which. I do know my handguns, but not in the dream. He got away again when I hesitated, and this time I couldn't catch him. The dream ended with me standing on a river bank with Saddam and three other men escaping in a boat.

It's official: a burrito is not a sandwich

Is this a good use of the judicial system? A Mass. judge ruled that a burrito is not a sandwich, allowing a Mexican restaurant to open in the same mall as a sandwich shop. What about tortas?

AP:

---

“A sandwich is not commonly understood to include burritos, tacos and quesadillas, which are typically made with a single tortilla and stuffed with a choice filling of meat, rice, and beans,” Locke wrote in a decision released last week.

In court papers, Panera, a St. Louis-based chain of more than 900 cafes, argued for a broad definition of a sandwich, saying that a flour tortilla is bread and that a food product with bread and a filling is a sandwich.

---

I'm glad we cleared that up.

Pledge of allegiance banned at Calif. college

Orange Coast College has banned the pledge of allegiance. The student trustee leading the charge for the ban said, per al-Reuters:

---

"That ('under God') part is sort of offensive to me," student trustee Jason Ball, who proposed the ban, told Reuters. "I am an atheist and a socialist, and if you know your history, you know that 'under God' was inserted during the McCarthy era and was directly designed to destroy my ideology."

---

Banning the pledge is ridiculous, and wrong, plus I don't understand why this socialist would be offended by "under god."

The ban is a difficult issue for me because I generally support the destruction of socialism, a failed policy that has resulted in poverty and death for millions of people. I am also an atheist, though I take no offense if somebody wants to swear an oath "under god." I just won't do it.

Al-Qaeda in Iraq support Democrats

Al-Qaeda in Iraq released a new tape praising the Democratic election victory in the U.S. That is no surprise, since socialists deny we're at war against terrorism and think the Iraq war is "illegal." These are the same views held by terrorists.

From the tape, via BBC:

---

"The American people have taken a step in the right path to come out of their predicament... they voted for a level of reason," the voice said. Muhajir, also known as Ayyub al-Masri, has been identified by US forces as the successor to Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, killed in a raid in June 2006.

---

Also, the Iranian Supreme Idiot likes the Democratic victory, per Reuters:

---

Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Friday called U.S. President George W. Bush's defeat in congressional elections a victory for Iran.

Bush has accused Iran of trying to make a nuclear bomb, being a state sponsor of terrorism and stoking sectarian conflict in Iraq, all charges Tehran denies.

"This issue (the elections) is not a purely domestic issue for America, but it is the defeat of Bush's hawkish policies in the world," Khamenei said in remarks reported by Iran's student news agency ISNA on Friday.

"Since Washington's hostile and hawkish policies have always been against the Iranian nation, this defeat is actually an obvious victory for the Iranian nation."

---

"Borat" banned in Russia

Russia has banned the film "Borat" because it makes fun of their friend and neighbor, Kazakhstan.

BBC:

---

But there are others, not least the government of Kazakhstan who say it is deeply offensive.

One Kazakh diplomat says that the depiction of his country as violent, primitive and oppressive bears no resemblance to reality.

And it seems the Russian authorities are also not amused.

A culture ministry official in Moscow told the BBC it had refused to issue a distribution licence because the film could potentially humiliate different ethnic groups and religions.

The official would not give any further details, except to say the distributors had the right to appeal against the government's decision.

---

The diplomat says his country is nothing like what is depicted by Borat. No kidding! Everybody knows that. How can somebody get so offended by a light, comedy film?

We in the U.S. are treated to movies portraying the assassination of a sitting president. We're the world's No. 1 giver of aid internationally, yet we have Bono and high level UN officials calling us tight with our money. I saw a French documentary on the Sundance channel claiming the U.S. is responsible for the Kursk. We have a foreign head of state call a sitting president "Satan" on our own soil. And routinely people who criticize the United States are awarded Nobel prizes and other prestigious, international prizes.

By rights we could take a flame thrower to the rest of the world. Or we could withhold our aid and let the rest of the world complain (and starve).

But what do we actually do? Nothing. We sometimes get ruffled, but we don't censor frivolous, comedic films. We realize that people can make fun, but they can't actually hurt us. We just go on and forget about the slight(s).

What is the psychology at work in Kazakhstan? Are they so insecure that they need to fight against a ridiculous comic? Are these extreme reactions common in that part of the world?

A new Ronald Reagan

Now that Republicans threw away the Senate as well as the House, a presidency in 2008 is the only chance for Republicans to maintain any power in Washington. They'll need a principled, charismatic leader. A reversal on cloning policy is in order, because a clone of Ronald Reagan may be their only hope.

Sean Hannity, who is droning on and on right now about how Bush wasn't far enough to the right to please Republicans, is wrong. A moderate Republican who can get a good percentage of moderate Democrats and independents is the only chance for 2008.

Idiot liberal's fears not realized

I posted about a hard-left liberal hiding behind the 'Once Upon a Time...' blog in October. He was feeling major anxiety about Bush launching an attack on Iran prior to Nov. 7, 2006. He resorted to "deep breathing" and "meditation" for relief.

I wonder what the idiot thinks now. Will he go back on his meds?

Good-bye election season, hello hunting season

Vinnie at The Jawa Report is already moving beyond election season and ushering in deer hunting season with a fatwa:

---

In the name of Allah the most merciless and uncompassionate.

I call upon my brothers, ye who wear the holy garments of Mossy Oak© and carriers of the mighty compound bow, muzzleloader, shotgun, and centerfire rifle.

Jihad upon the infidel whitetail! Jihad upon the dirty Mule deer! A jihad upon all legal game animals!

"Slay them where ye may find them." (with accordance to local hunting regulations, of course). "Field dress them, butcher them, and serve them at the dinner table." - Sura 9:29 of the Hunter's Holly Quoran.

---

Shaved Ape imposter and a dumb bitch

Take a look at this woman's diary, or journal, or whatever it is. It makes me glad my divorce was finalized last summer. Irrational hormonal rages are a thing of the past. Men don't need to put up with chicks like this; emphasis as found:

---

Last night I was looking at the pictures Jeremy picked to have as a screen saver on his computer. There were picures of me as a baby on my biological father's lap, me dressed like a little cowgirl with my plastic horse, me trying to walk, etc. You get the idea. Then, all of a sudden, there was a COMPLETELY NAKED WOMAN that popped up after a pic of me as a baby on my father's shoulders.

Not only was I instantly infuriated I was completely disgusted that he would put that picture mixed in with pictures of my childhood. Not only did he take one of the very few things that I take precious and completely defiled it, he took away its innocence for me and he made my stomach turn. I honestly could not believe he did that. I dont know if there is anything more he could do to me to hurt me so much and contaminate the extremely precious few things I have of my childhood with my father. I simply could not believe it. I still cant believe it.

---

She later calls him "shaved ape", if I read it correctly.

Bias exposed in Army Times story

The DoD has a compelling rebuttal of several key points in an Army Times story critical of the war in Iraq and Our Man Rummy. More interestingly, perhaps, is that Army Times is not a military publication, but part of the Gannette chain.

Here's one example of the DoD's response to the Army Times hit piece:

---

CLAIM: “Active-duty military leaders are starting to voice misgivings about the war’s planning, execution and dimming prospects for success. Army Gen. John Abizaid, chief of U.S. Central Command, told a Senate Armed Services Committee in September: ‘I believe that the sectarian violence is probably as bad as I’ve seen it ... and that if not stopped, it is possible that Iraq could move towards civil war.’”

FACTS: Military commanders involved in Operation Iraqi Freedom have continually expressed their belief in the importance of the mission in Iraq. The selective use of General Abizaid’s quote from September ignores other things that General Abizaid said at that hearing. For example, he also said:

“This is a hard thing. And it’s going to take a long time. And it’s going to take a lot of courage and a lot of perseverance and unfortunately more blood, and it’s going to take more treasure. But there are more people in Iraq that are working with us to try to make their country a better place than are trying to tear it apart. . . .The people that are trying to tear it apart are ruthless. They are pulling out everything that they can to make it fail. . . .And it’s hard. That’s why we kept extra forces there. And it’s hard and it’s tough and it’s difficult, but we will prevail. . . But I can tell you, people have a right to express their opinion. There’s political activity. There’s freedom of the press. There are things that are happening in Iraq that don’t happen anywhere else in the Middle East. And we ought to be proud of it.”

---

Saddam Hussein: Hang him high

Saddam's murderous, genocidal, 24-year reign ended in 2003, but the real end just got closer with today's death sentence. Good riddance to this menace. Let's try to keep the verdict a secret from liberals. I don't want them understanding why some wars are justified.


An Iraqi I know, a Shia Muslim, said he doesn't want Saddam killed. He would rather see him spend the rest of his life in jail. I mentioned to him that dictators have a way of going free after time goes by, like Pinochet. He said, "We are not Chileans. We are Iraqis."

I think Saddam should be gassed with WMDs, like he did to some of his victims, and then tossed, still alive, into a wood chipper, as he did with others.

Pre-USA election violence in Iraq

Are liberals asking themselves why violence in Iraq is spiking just before our elections? I'll answer it for them, since their heads are too far in the sand to figure it out.

The only way to defeat the U.S. military is in the liberal U.S. press. That was learned in Vietnam and Somalia. Dead American soldiers on the front pages of newspapers in the U.S. cause people to believe we will lose. The cycle is repeating, but only liberals fail to grasp that the cycle is imaginary. We can and will succeed in our mission in Iraq if idiot liberals would simply take note of what is going on.

There's a reason Blackhawk Down was Saddam Hussein's favorite movie. There's a reason al-Qaeda has stated that if they can get enough press coverage in the U.S., they can win.

The lead story at Yahoo News right now, from Reuters:

---

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - The Iraqi government put the army on alert ahead of Sunday's verdict in Saddam Hussein's trial for crimes against humanity, as a spike in violence kept up pressure on President George W. Bush before U.S. elections.

Baghdad police found 56 bodies and a severed head over 24 hours and the U.S. military reported seven combat deaths.

The seven U.S. deaths on Thursday were an unusually heavy toll for a single day. The body count in the capital was the highest since the end of Ramadan around 10 days ago, according to figures provided by an interior ministry source on Friday.

---

If you read the story and come away feeling like we're losing and should run away, you're a liberal who is contributing to the problems in Iraq and the larger problem of global terrorism. Get a spine and a brain, liberals, and try not to be so cowardly. It's damaging my country and killing our soldiers.

All seafood will be gone by 2050

Unbridled stupidity has erupted once again in the liberal-socialist world. A new, "comprehensive" report says we will run out of seafood by 2050. We have heard doomsday proclamations like this for decades, concerning oil, Alaskan pipelines, and the imminent death of the planet due to holes in the ozone layer. Each time, with no exceptions, we were treated to fearmongering of the highest order, and it turned out to be completely unfounded.

This is why I stopped watching Nature on PBS. The show used to be about wildlife, now it's only about how we evil humans are ruining everything. It's nauseating.

The Independent:

---

All wild seafood will have disappeared from the world's menus within 50 years if current trends in overfishing continue according to one of the most comprehensive studies of marine life.

The apocalyptic warning is issued by a team of ecologists and economists from a dozen research centres who have studied detailed records on fish catches going back to 1950.

Their comprehensive study, published today by the journal Science, found the number of commercial fisheries that have collapsed was accelerating and that the total eradication of all fish stocks in the world is due to be completed by 2048.

---

It's comprehensive, as The Independent made sure we understood, so it must be true. I'm looking up, but the sky hasn't begun to fall yet.

Racist Florida lawmaker in denial

Florida Republican Ralph Arza is in deep doo-doo over this (from the Sun-Sentenel):

---

Arza resigned after facing pressure to quit over profanity-laced voice mails he left for State Rep. Gus Barreiro, R-Miami Beach, in which he used the n-word. He told investigators he made the calls after drinking a lot of red wine, according to an affidavit filed in the case by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.

---

So the guy gets sloshed and leaves intimidating voicemails, calling another guy the n-word. After that, he says this:

---

"It hurts me that someone would classify me as a racist," he said in English. "That hurt me beyond my own recognition."

---

It doesn't end there. His rationale for the voicemails (USA Today):

---

Arza, who is Cuban-American, said Wednesday his calls to Barreiro were made out of "frustration of eight months of being attacked unfairly for being a racist."

---

Am I missing something? He responds to allegations of racism by...calling somebody the n-word. I predict Arza will soon announce that he has a "disease" and is checking himself into a clinic for "treatment".

70 Muslims fired from French airport

France has fired more than 70 Muslims from Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris. They are deemed security risks. Shocker! This should stoke the rioting around Paris.

BBC:

---

More than 70 Muslim workers at France's main airport have been stripped of the security clearance for allegedly posing a risk to passengers, officials say.

The staff at Charles de Gaulle airport, including baggage handlers, are said to have visited terrorist training camps in Pakistan and Afghanistan.

One man is thought to have been a friend of Richard Reid, the so-called British shoe bomber.

Richard Reid tried to blow up a flight from Paris to the US in 2001.

---