Dirty Red Commie

Two brilliant things a friend posted elsewhere that I'd like to share with the commie community.

http://www.avclub.com/content/feature/taste_test_cheeseburger_in_a

 Taste testing of German canned cheeseburger (for camping or masochism)

and

 http://www.losanjealous.com/nfc/

The Nietzsche Family Circus 

According to the BBC, UK airports will no longer allow you to have carry-on baggage.  This is apparently in response to the foiling of a plan to blow up a plane. 

 The only things you'll be able to carry onto a plane are wallets, small quantities of non-liquid medication, glasses (but no cases), contact lens holders (but no solution), baby food (you have to taste it for them), diapers and such, tampons and tissues (unboxed), and keys (no electric keyfobs).

 Notably, you can't have a laptop, a music player, a book, or even a magazine.  Not even a couple crayons.  You also can't bring any liquids onto the plane. 

Can you imagine a trans-atlantic flight with no reading material, no music, no laptop, no video games?  I would go completely batshit insane.  I would hijack the plane and crash it into the sea just to end the interminable boredom.  (Note to NSA et-al: This is meant humorously.  I would never do such a thing.  Unless it was a plane full of politicians.  (just kidding))

 I'm interested to know how exactly I could hijack or blow up a plane with a paperback novel.  My first thought was the possibility of malicious paper cuts, but they do allow you to bring necessary travel documents--presumably printed on standard paper.  Maybe it's the content of the books they fear.  Incendiary language, perhaps.  Magazines, I understand.  I heard someone once robbed a bank with a rolled-up magazine.  And glasses cases are understandable.  They could be hiding anything in there.  If only there was some device they could use to see if anything dense or metallic was inside--some kind of ray machine.  But that's just science fiction, right?

(From BoingBoing) 

http://www.newyorker.com/printables/fact/060227fa_fact

 Is an account of internal struggles to draw a line between torture and proper treatment procedures for detainees.  It's a good read - if somewhat of a letdown, we all know how this fight ended - and enlightens us mere mortals outside of the Beltway to executive policy-making trends.

     totally sweet!!!!