Is it just me, or could this Onion article be viewed as not a parody at all? I mean, if you saw it in your local paper, would you even think twice about it?
Seriously, folks, this is funny.
(If you don't get it, catch up with the rest of us.)
Just because:
American weapons inspectors have found a bag of sand, a field of lavender, and a few mangy dogs in their search for weapons of mass destruction. Dunno, those dogs might be pretty mean.
Because of this, some senators are asking if maybe the 'intelligence' about Iraq wasn't so accurate. Gee, you think? Could that be the real reason it was never actually presented, just hinted at?
Speaking of intelligence, is it really so intelligent to focus all our al-Qaeda attention on Iran, when the only real attack on the U.S. so far (the WTC/Pentagon attack) was conducted by Saudis with Saudi assistance? Oh, that's right, that information is being covered up, so you wouldn't have heard.
Found a very well-researched article about the real political considerations of politics surrounding Iraq over the last decade. Note that each move by any nation, presented as working for the interests of the Iraqi people, has been matched by a covert move to secure oil production rights. It's the kind of policy only a Texas oil man could love.
"The Earth is a very small stage in a vast cosmic arena. Think of the rivers of blood spilled by all those generals and emperors, so that, in glory and triumph, they could become the momentary masters of a fraction of a dot. Think of the endless cruelties visited by the inhabitants of one corner of this pixel on the scarcely distinguishable inhabitants of some other corner, how frequent their misunderstandings, how eager they are to kill one another, how fervent their hatreds. Our posturings, our imagined self-importance, the delusion that we have some privileged position in the Universe, are challenged by this point of pale light."
-- Carl Sagan
From "Pale Blue Dot: A Vision of the Human Future in Space," Random House, 1994
Apparently, black or green tea has antibacterial properties, especially against oral bacteria. Recent research has indicated that drinking tea may reduce the bacteria that cause bad breath. Of course, that doesn't take into account the sugar and milk I put in my black tea, but at least the unsweetened green stuff is doing me good. So drink up!
If you're hoping to impress your prospective employer, don't start your cover letter with:
Dear Perspective Employer:
Hint: if you get it wrong, the prospect of your future employment isn't good.
Sincerely,
~chris the nitpicky bastard
The Matrix Reloaded comes out tomorrow, so it's a good time to review the original. Josh Burek has written an interesting take on the religious overtones of The Matrix, with a decidedly Christian bent. It's a good read, and the "glossary" at the end has some great tidbits.
Who says politics can't be exciting? The Texas representatives sure don't. They're on the run from the law! (Not the usual reasons a politician has to skip town, though.)
If you like the idea of ordinary folks in space, check out this poster, rendered by Mark Shuttleworth during his visit to the International Space Station.
Sigh. Why is it so hard to understand the can of worms that gets opened when church and state aren't separate?
A few comments by Jim Benson from SpaceDev made me realize I hadn't mentioned the propulsion prospects for SpaceShipOne. I think Scaled is considering a hybrid rocket engine, which uses a combination of solid and liquid fuel techniques. Specifically, they're using a rubber solid fuel and nitrous oxide liquid oxidizer.
SpaceDev, one of the companies competing to provide the rocket, is a local (San Diego) company I've been admiring from afar for a while. With government-funded spaceflight facing a hostile climate, it's good to know that someone in the private sector is taking on the challenge.
Thanks, Jim!
Not dead! I just got back from a week-long vacation. I'll be posting more soon...
It's swell to know that the war is over. Otherwise I'd be worried.
Update: Jaime mentions a good article on the same effect around the world.
I don't know why, but it's heartening to know that some research worms survived the Columbia disaster.