Afghan women imprisoned for "moral crimes"

"Enter the cells of the Badam Bagh prison in Kabul, Afghanistan, and what culprits will you find locked up inside? A 16-year old recipient of an unplanned marriage proposal, a pregnant wife irrationally accused of adultery, and a veiled old woman who just displayed a "bad attitude.""

"Bad attitudes" land Afghan women in jail | FP Passport

Amazing Church Sign Win

Church Sign Win - FAIL Blog: Epic Fail Funny Pictures and Funny Videos of Owned, Pwned and Fail Moments

Old but scary news--turning your cell into a bug is not sci-fi

FBI taps cell phone mic as eavesdropping tool - CNET News

Law School Study

Oh Marshall, coiner of my favourite phrase...

Hat-tip to Law Is Cool

Good collection of video and links on aid convoy attack from Boing Boing

The "flotilla video": Israeli troops storm boat with aid supplies bound for Gaza Strip - Boing Boing

I have the ears of a person half my age (well, 2-3 years younger)

Created by Oatmeal

BBC News - Deaths as Israeli forces storm Gaza aid ship

BBC News - Deaths as Israeli forces storm Gaza aid ship

Financial Times pulls striking Amnesty International ad

Financial Times chickens out, refuses to run Amnesty's anti-Shell Oil ad - Boing Boing

Worry

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Babies are not Mogwais

If there is one thing more annoying than the enormous strollers that seem to have become the norm, especially on the TTC, it is the huge clear vinyl tarps bunched up around them, adding to their already Hummer-analagous footprint. All of these infant-land-yachts have awnings anyway, so the oxygen tent\Hazmat containment system is NOT necessary. Babies don't melt if they get a little rain on them, people, and they are not mogwais.

DUH-duh, DUH-duh, DUH-duh

Most apocalyptic photo ever

From Astronomy Photo of the Day

It is just possible this shirt was designed for me

Kawaii Not: the webcomic for cute gone bad!

Dear Iceland: My feminism includes pasties

I was directed to this article by a friend on facebook: Iceland: the world's most feminist country |Life and style |The Guardian

And my first thought was: wait, what?*

Did the whole sex-positive movement skip Iceland? What about the personal liberties, the government has no place in our bedroom movement? Granted, sex-workers do seem to be the world's primary target for exploitation, but I was under the (apparently mistaken) impression that we had figured out a while ago that criminalizing sex work is not the way to go, because (a) some people like it and it's really none of our business, and (b) it makes a kabillion times more sense to regulate the industry so no one is getting exploited any more (or at least as few as possible as little as possible, since no government system is perfect).

Maybe I'm biased by my respect for Canadian sex columnist Sasha, a long-time advocate of sex-positivism and sex-workers rights, but this seems like a giant mistake to me, both in terms of principle and practical effect. And yet, the media appears to think this is entirely a plus in the empowerment of women column. While I obviously support the attempt to get the government behind efforts to end the exploitation of women, I vehemently oppose the state putting limits on sexual behaviours that do not hurt anyone else. Harm principle, anyone?

I smell disaster...

More news coverage indexed here: Iceland Bans Strip Clubs; What If The U.S. Did The Same?

* As an aside, I have long toyed with the idea of creating a Twitter feed or mini blog called "Wait, What?" that just includes links to randomness which elicit that reaction from me.

Frankly bizarre NP comment: Obama is "ruining America"

Oh National Post...you never fail to bring the crazy.

George Jonas: [Obama is] Ruining America — coolly, calmly and collectedly - Full Comment

Elevation

People who take elevators to OR ESPECIALLY FROM the 2nd floor during the busiest time of the day need to learn to use the stairs.

Blergh

Why is it that cough syrup tastes so incredibly heinous? Is it because they assume something that tastes like hell is less likely to become a street drug?

Or maybe it's the alcohol, menthol, D&C Red 33, FD&C Red 40, monoammonium glycyrrhizinate (which is some sort of licorice extract?), polyethylene glycol, sodium benzoate, sodium carboxymethyl-cellulose, sodium citrate, sodium cyclamate (gross!), sorbitol, or sucralose. Or the horrifying fake cherry flavor (although the Straight Dope claims there's a reason for that).

Oh, and BTW, the alcohol? I was not aware it was in there. I am allergic to alcohol (or at least as allergic as people get). And when I say alcohol allergy, I go straight from "Oh look, 0.05% fake wine" to alcohol poisoning.

Hard-hit Iraq city sees rise in birth defects

As reported by the Beeb here: BBC News - Disturbing story of Fallujah's birth defects

And more stories here: Google News

Now, it's possible--and this is certainly what's being hinted about--that there was some sort of bio-weapon used that is causing this. But I wouldn't be surprised if the regular weapons used by all sides don't have teratogenic properties.

The Definition

If war is diplomacy by other means, than an entirely puposive definition of terrorism can't work. If terrorism is just the use of violence to acheive a political end or send a message, then isn't all warfare terrorism? Would we prefer killing for the sole atavistic joy of bloodlust satisfied?

Similarly, tactics common to assymmetric warfare cannot make it terrorism. Guerilla warfare, even suicide bombings, are not per se terrorist, unless you're content to paint every national resistance movement ever with the same brush.

Therefore, it can only be the intentional targetting of non-combatants that makes a terrorist act.

My life in SCRABBLE

After a rather successful game of SCRABBLE on my iPod Nano on the bus home, I decided to check my stats.

Best word: 48 points…

JIHAD

*le huge sigh*