The Unknown Studio

It seems as though Cumberland Regional College in Saskatchewan has a logo inspired by Star Trek:

I think you can clearly see where they got their inspiration from:

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According to the Observer, the Pentagon thinks that climate change is perhaps an even greater national security concern than terrorism. That kinda throws a monkey wrench into Bush’s policies, doesn’t it? Especially since his administration has repeatedly denied the scientific validity of climate change.

Well, Bush, even your own hand-picked, mouth-breathing policy-type people recognize that a rapidly-changing climate will result in global war, as individuals, communities, and nations defend what precious little resources they have. Oh, and the insufferable English will be living in a Siberian landscape inside of 20 years. Fun times!

From the article (via BoingBoing):

A secret report, suppressed by US defence chiefs and obtained by The Observer, warns that major European cities will be sunk beneath rising seas as Britain is plunged into a ‘Siberian’ climate by 2020. Nuclear conflict, mega-droughts, famine and widespread rioting will erupt across the world.

[...]

The findings will prove humiliating to the Bush administration, which has repeatedly denied that climate change even exists. Experts said that they will also make unsettling reading for a President who has insisted national defence is a priority.

>> read more…

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The mayor of a small town in Texas has resigned after secretly keeping her neighbour’s Shih Tzu while pretending it had died. Neighbours had asked Alice Mayor Grace Saenz-Lopez to look after the dog, Puddles, during a holiday. She called them to say it was dead. But the dog, which Ms Saenz-Lopez had renamed Panchito, was later seen at a dog groomer’s and at her sister’s home.

This article puzzles me for two reasons:

1. I don’t know what the hell Saenz-Lopez was thinking by stealing her neighbour’s dog and then lying about its death; and,
2. I don’t know why the hell the reporter wouldn’t address this question in the article.

This is one of the problems with journalism nowadays. The focus on balance or impartiality or whatever has completely stiffled any sort of true exploration of the issues reported on in the news. Why didn’t anyone think to ask the mayor of Alice: “Seriously, your honour, what the fuck? The citizens of this town voted for you, and they have a right to know why you thought you could steal your neighbour’s dog.”

Seriously, just ask her! What’s she going to say, “I’m too shit-fucking crazy to answer that, so, uh, no comment.”

We’re leaving this criticism up to the likes of Michael Moore, Jon Stewart, and Stephen Colbert. And I’m glad they do what they do; despite the humour these guys use to present their ideas, they’re hitting the nail on the head where “real” news shows aren’t.

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Ars Technica has a great piece on the new TSA blog. Author Jon Stokes asks a very salient question, one I’ve often considered myself:

My experience in airport security line conversations over the years is that everyone who takes a moment to turn three or four neurons’ worth of attention to the much-hated liquids policy comes to exactly the same conclusion: if it takes, say, 20 ounces of bomb juice to blow up an airplane, then you can just send two terrorists with 10 ounces of bomb juice each on board, and they can combine their bomb juice to make a 20-ounce bomb. So why the seemingly idiotic limits on the amount of liquids in my carry-on bag? And why, if I’m in the security line with a bottle of water or a cup of coffee, can’t I just drink some of it to demonstrate that it is not, in fact, bomb juice?

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