It’s all about extortion

Once again, Libya has sentenced six foreign medical workers to death, for allegedly infecting 426 children with HIV. It does not matter that there is no evidence to support these charges, and ample scientific evidence to refute the charges. To the Libyans it is enough that (1) the children are infected with HIV, and (2) there must be a scapegoat. Further, given Libya’s suggestion that blood money be paid so that the defendants may be spared, it appears that the ill children are mere pawns in Libya’s attempt to extort $4.26 billion (yes, Billion) from countries supporting the six medical workers.

For this Libya deserves to be completely isolated—from foreign aid of all sorts, and from all trade. Every government must order their medical workers to leave Libya at once, and all companies must be ordered to cease doing business with Libya. There can be no tolerance for a government that demands money in order not to execute those who are in their country for humanitarian purposes. Libya’s behavior defies all norms of human behavior, and must be condemned in the strongest possible way. All aid of any sort to Libya should cease immmediately.

Like it’s finals week

Continuing with my much-needed respite from all things war and politics, a few more diversions:

No surprise here:

Click here for CIA personality quiz

No surprise here either:


But, I find this rather startling…(hey, Mom, look at this!)…


How evil are you?

On the lighter side

Showing the possibilities when minds and hands work together…



From unknown source:

“This incredible machine was built as a collaborative effort between the Robert M. Trammell Music Conservatory and the Sharon Wick School of Engineering at the University of Iowa [and] 97% of the […] components came from John Deere Industries and Irrigation Equipment of Bancroft Iowa […]

“It took the team a combined 13,029 hours of set-up, alignment, calibration, and tuning before filming this video…

“It is now on display in the Matthew Gerhard Alumni Hall at the University and is […] slated to be donated to the Smithsonian.”

UPDATE: Oops, I've been spoofed…but, it’s a great video…

From Urban Legends website:

“False. The video is amazing, no question, but the “fantastic machine” depicted therein wasn’t built out of farm equipment parts at the University of Iowa. It’s an example, rather, of the incredible 3D computer animation created by Wayne Lytle and his team at Animusic in Austin, Texas. No such machine exists in the real world. Nor, for the record, is there a “Robert M. Trammell Music Conservatory,” a “Sharon Wick School of Engineering,” nor a “Matthew Gerhard Alumni Hall” at the University of Iowa. The caption accompanying the video in emails circulating since November 2006 is entirely fictitious, authored by an anonymous prankster. You can view a clip from the original video, entitled “Pipe Dream,” in its proper context here.”

For many thousands of reasons

Yes, this means what you think it does: IMPEACH!