Can Things Get Any Kookier in Minneapolis?

I know who Rex will be voting for in the mayoral race.



(Tipped off by the Daily Dish)

Let's Go! Iran

Screw Myanmar... err, "Burma". We need to get to Iran. (Check out the amazing photos at today's "The Big Picture".) It's only a matter of time before the Israelis nuke it.

Social Media for a Police State

From the Guardian:

The police are also finding powerful allies in Silicon Valley. Companies such as Facebook have begun using algorithms and historical data to predict which of their users might commit crimes using their services. Here is how it works: Facebook's own predictive systems can flag certain users as suspicious by studying certain behavioural cues: the user only writes messages to others under 18; most of the user's contacts are female; the user is typing keywords like "sex" or "date." Staffers can then examine each case and report users to the police as necessary. 

Big Brother friended you : )

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Zapata Racing - Watersport Insanity

News Flash: China Polluted*

"Pretend you are trapped in a box of communist oppression."

But air pollution in Fuyang, China, doesn't deter students from attending their outdoor mime class, "Marceau in the Park".
More: http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2013/01/chinas_skies_toxic_levels_of_p.html

*: Tip of the sarcastic hat to Reuters.

BMX Carnage

Detroit Summit

I'm gearing up for the pierogi eating contest in Detroit on Labor Day weekend. I've started my training with gyozas, something my Asian digestive system can handle. I'll have to build up my strength to handle the heavy Mitteleuropan pierogis. (If the Marquis chooses to enter, he may have the home-field advantage when it comes to pierogis.) But I'm feeling confident at the moment. Kobayashi is an inspiration. I hope you all can make it to Detroit around Labor Day. It'll be fun--the throwin' up kind!

Is Junior Hot for Teacher? Don't Worry, It's Being Discouraged

OXNARD, Calif. — A junior-high schoolteacher was placed on leave as a school district investigates whether she was moonlighting as a porn star, officials said. Meanwhile, students at the Southern California campus were asked not to search Internet sex sites for images of the teacher, the district said in a letter to parents.

"We are asking teachers to discourage the children from searching for and/or visiting these inappropriate sites," Superintendent Jeff Chancer wrote.

[I don't see how this plan could possibly backfire.]

Chancer was asked Wednesday whether the curiosity of 12-, 13- and 14-year-olds might actually be piqued by the notice. "I don't know," he said. Read more: http://www.denverpost.com/search/ci_20125572#ixzz1oY51Lefh
...

Iceland 2012 June-July

From the desk of Feral Boy & Friday:

Our last trip to Iceland, 10 full days on the ground, was far too short. (It was necessarily truncated due to our commitment to the Deep Blues Fest in MN.) The brevity of the visit forced us to choose between two different, and mutually exclusive, itineraries, both of which would be somewhat challenging; through circumstances of fate, we ultimately ended up exploring the southern coast and backpacking the famous Laugevegur Trail. It was a fantastic journey, but it left us longing to return in order to explore the fjords of the north-west coast.

Icelandair is offering direct-to-Reykjavic flights out of Denver beginning this spring, and we've decided to take advantage of this; tickets were bought this morning for a three-week journey. The details are still TBD, but will most likely approximate the ad hoc itinerary I had dreamed up three years ago: exploring the fjords and remote fishing villages of the Northwest - a journey of long bus rides, light-aircraft hops, and ocean-going vessel transport, ultimately arriving to a remote trailhead, and then trekking back to civilization over the course of several days. Info about the region is readily available, but here's a good place to start:
West Fjords
Time allowing, there will be further exploration of the North Coast. As this travel window straddles the solstice, the sun will set for only an hour or two each day.

Here's the flight info in case you'd like to join us:

Time to brush up on your French

The Coen Brothers segment from the excellent Paris je t'aime:

The final scene and credits from Paris je t'aime featuring a lovely Feist song:

Travel Tip

Stoner, don't forget to pack a tin-foil hat with ear flaps for your trip to Japan. This may not be a good sign.

Maeklong Market, Thailand

A New Form of Life

"Any questions?"

"Yes. - How do you kill them?"

Weather Forecast

Hope this doesn't spoil your weekend plans:

Death Race 2011

Finally, a challenge worthy of Clock team members. (Stoner, rocky, your headlamps will come in handy here.)



youmaydie.com
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The Kill Team

The Kill Team: How U.S. Soldiers in Afghanistan Murdered Innocent Civilians

Early last year, after six hard months soldiering in Afghanistan, a group of American infantrymen reached a momentous decision: It was finally time to kill a haji.

Among the men of Bravo Company, the notion of killing an Afghan civilian had been the subject of countless conversations, during lunchtime chats and late-night bull sessions. For weeks, they had weighed the ethics of bagging "savages" and debated the probability of getting caught. Some of them agonized over the idea; others were gung-ho from the start. But not long after the New Year, as winter descended on the arid plains of Kandahar Province, they agreed to stop talking and actually pull the trigger...

Regarding Turkey...

UPDATE: Turkey is out for the Marquis, who is returning to Tokyo for three months' work.

We are welcome in Tokyo, where his employer is providing him with an apartment.

Are we welcome in said apartment?

The Marquis is less than explicit on this point, but promises a Tokyo much less crowded and functional -- "more interesting!" -- than usual.


Who's still up for Turkey?

Anyone for Tokyo?

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