It is deliciously ironic that forcing someone to sign an oath to defend the Constitution is in itself unconstitutional.

You Americans are a source of endless amusement with your pledges and oaths.

Believe it or not Canadian government funding of movies is designed and intended to promote a domestic moviemaking industry. It works too - that's why so many movies are made in Vancouver now, because the infrastructure was put in place (i.e. people with moviemaking skills, caterers and the rest).

It is only indirectly about funding the arts, but more directly about suppporting a multibillion dollar industry.

Interestingly, McVety does not appear to have any issues with the much more massive subsidies to other industries that could arguably be a hell of a lot less moral (i.e. weapons manufacturers, oilsands developers).

But of course his brand of Christianity is not interested in the sissy peace on earth stuff like that Jesus guy they pretend to worship, they are too worried about the real menace to all that is good and holy - teh nipples and teh gays!

My understanding is that it is flat out illegal to produce, display or sell anything with a swastika in several countries in Europe, particularly Germany and possibly anywhere in the EU.

So of course Lego won't produce nazi symbology - it's illegal.

It reminds me of one of those logic equations - all people who sport swastikas are likely some kind of fascists, but not all fascists sport swastikas.

#5 - I appreciate what you mean, but does anybody actually still think it was necessary to invade Iraq, what with the whole bogus WMD thing? I mean, how far into the sand does a head have to be to retain that illusion this far along?

Nobody, but nobody, needs to be in Iraq but the Iraqis.

But, why?

Naw, it won't be rejected, it will be disappeared. Then they will mail it to the wrong address, and deny ever having recieved it. When he fills out another application, they will refuse to issue him a passport because there is already one in circulation (which they sent to the wrong address).

That's what they do to people who don't discover massive errors on their part, I can only imagine what levels of Kafkaesque absurdity they will do with someone who actually embarrasses them in advance.

But all the guy did was ask for proof that he had broken the law. And the cop refused to do so.

When the guy asked the cop 'what the hell is wrong with you' just before being tased, that is exactly what was going through my head as well.

I'm starting to think that we should all be carrying video recording devices as a matter of self defense, just in case some uniformed thug decides to electrocute us for looking at them funny.

The casual way that the police zapped the poor guy indicates more about how easily they resort to excessive force than is immediately apparent.

He was unarmed, his hands were at his sides, and he was not being violent. They spoke to him for a few seconds, then zapped him - killing him in this case. This suggests 2 things:

1. Police zap people all the time, with little pretext. None of them even looked nervous, yet they zapped him. Perhaps it is less work to electrocute people.

2. It is probably true that only a small minority of zapped people actually die. Given how many (in hard numbers) of people have been dying as a result of tazers, that suggests that a lot of people get zapped every day, just not in front of a camera.

And if police who are working at a major international airport haven't figured out how to deal with someone who does not speak English, they have some serious oversights in their protocols.

Or maybe they don't have any gaps, and the protocol is to electrocute them.

So it is a crime to not answer the door in a private room?

Not to mention the problem that they tazed him again after he was on the ground in handcuffs.

Watch out furries!

Cats are the best mousetrap, because they take pleasure in their work. And they purr, unlike the 50 cent traps.

All well and good, though I find the 4 legged 'I can has mouse' trap to work just fine in terms of rodent management. Though not so humane.

Oonsk = Onomatopeia for 'bass cymbal', i.e. music.

Good for eating in the dark, or perhaps directing aircraft whilst having a snack on the go.

So, they were 'suspected improvised explosive device emplacers' in the first paragraph, moved quickly into being 'unknown enemy fighters' and rapidly became a 'feat', not to mention 'dead'.

Gee willikers, what a whizbang accomplishment. Something to be proud of, the ability to kill people who might be doing something we don't like.

At the bottom of the article there is much discussion of the 'refrigerator next to the bed'. People keep fridges next to their beds in Phoenix?

I'd love it if (as I assume must be the case) the timing could be reversed and it would open over my chair as the sun went down. As a reading lamp it could be a nifty item.

Neat idea, but why would I want a light that comes on in the morning? Wouldn't a light that comes on when it's dark be more useful?

I'm just saying...