The torture techniques of the CIA have been leaked. You may think these techniques are fine and dandy to use to question terrorists, but what if enemy countries start using such torture? If you support this now, will you be able to sleep at night if one of our troops is captured by Iran and we receive word that his shirt was grabbed in a forceful manner?
Seriously, though, if Jack Bauer were limited to these techniques, wouldn’t 24 be the most boring show ever?
(hat tip Hot Air)

Bruce Schneier, a security expert who likes to look towards nature for innovative examples of security, mentioned this problem which was found on Slashdot:

Back in the 1980s, Yosemite National Park was having a serious problem with bears: They would wander into campgrounds and break into the garbage bins. This put both bears and people at risk. So the Park Service started installing armored garbage cans that were tricky to open — you had to swing a latch, align two bits of handle, that sort of thing. But it turns out it’s actually quite tricky to get the design of these cans just right. Make it too complex and people can’t get them open to put away their garbage in the first place. Said one park ranger, “There is considerable overlap between the intelligence of the smartest bears and the dumbest tourists.”

I don’t know if this story is really true, but it sounds true, which is good enough for a blog.
Okay, it doesn’t even have to sound true, it just has to help prove a point.
Anyway, the point (as identified by Schneier) is, despite the glib statement by the park ranger, that the average tourist – who, on a zoological scale, is very smart – will not be willing to spend very long to figure out a trashcan. A bear – even a smarter than average one – is not very smart compared to a human, but he or she will spend hours trying to figure out how to open a trashcan (what else does a bear have to do? Protest the pope?). Thus, you have two competing factors: How can you make a trashcan simple enough so that a lazy tourist doesn’t just leave his trash out but complex enough that a hungry bear with plenty of spare time can’t figure it out through trial and error?
I love engineering problems where you have to find the balance of two requirements that are at odds with each other. My favorite is the gun: if it ever fires when you don’t want it to, you could die; if it ever fails to fire when you want it to, you could die.

Well, it’s that time of year again… The United Nations General Assembly meets for the 61th time. This means there will be the usual parade of dictators, despots, and death-dealers lining up to shriek, bitch, and beg.
Now I proposed a few fun games to play two years ago, and I even got a drinking game together for #60, but times change… and the anti-American/anti-Semitic UN doesn’t!
Here we go again:
THE 61ST GENERAL ASSEMBLY DRINKING GAME
Drink for each of the following:

• A speaker tries to speak English. Badly. (Includes George Bush)
• A speaker mentions being in New York City, site of 9/11 (Includes George Bush)
• A speaker shows up in full tribal dress (Triple if it’s George Bush)
• A speaker denounces the American government. (Double if they’re a recipient of American foreign aid)
• A speaker denounces the Israeli government. (No bonus if it’s the Israeli representative himself, double if it is a government that is currently occupying territory: Turkey in Kurdistan, Spain in Morocco, England in Gibraltar, etc.)
• A speaker praises a fellow dead dictator. (ie Hitler, Castro, Dan Rather)
• A speaker praises Kofi Annan. (Double if it’s Kofi Annan)
• A speaker whines about an old grudge. (ie Azerbaijan vs. Armenia, Turks vs. Greeks or Greek Cypriots, Roger Waters vs. his medication)
• A speaker “shows solidarity” with Iraqis, but their country hasn’t lifted a damn finger to help them.
• A speaker “shows solidarity” with Lebanese, but their country hasn’t lifted a damn finger to help them.

Chug:

• Video shows Arabs/Muslims walking out before Israel speaks.
• A speaker demands Kofi Annan gets re-elected to a third term as Secretary General.
• A shoe or other form of footwear is pounded on the podium.
• Hezbollah, Al-Qaida and Viacom send representatives to speak at the podium.
• Someone says “Sofia Loren’s in her seventies, and she’s still hot!”
• A formal declaration of war is made from the podium.
• The Twelfth Imam emerges from under the podium, wipes his mouth, and says “One hundred and eightythree! Beat that, Elton John!”

Any other rules I should add?
Oh, and feel free to study last year’s archive of speeches to study what this collective bunch of bastards love to whine about. Not only does the webcast let you see the unedited (ie uncensored by AP and Reuters) whining from around the world, but you can watch the proceedings at your liesure to avoid having to drink while at work.
Unless you want to drink while at work.

Am I the only one who finds the the Islamic response to Benedict’s speech just a tad bit, well, for lack of a better word,

disproportionate?

That said, a problem arises, where do we send all the French peacekeepers?

They murder people, the scream havoc, but you merely prick them and they whine and sob greater than any two-year-old.
So, because Islamists were called violent murderers, they whine and cry and then they violently murder people. That was funny in an ironic sort of way the first one hundred times it happened.
Anyway, if you’re not familiar with what Pope Benedict XVI that got all the Islamists’ panties in a bunch, here it is:

I would like to address the Islamic religion by first saying [expletive deleted]. The prophet of Islam, the [expletive deleted] Mohammed, was best known for [expletives and vulgar references to sodomy and farm animals deleted]. Now, I know some Muslims may get violent for me saying this, but what else can you expect from those [expletive deleted] other than [expletives and vulgar and extremely explicit description of bestiality deleted]. And, frankly, I feel most sorry for the goats.
By the way, that’s not my view… it’s something I heard from some guy.

Now, that statement could have been the start to a serious discussion about Islam and its role in the modern world, but, inevitably, crazy Islamist just found this as another excuse to burn things and kill people – and, really what else do those guys have to do other than that and that thing the pope mentioned with handcuffs and the camel?
Now, some expect the pope to apologize, but that would be extremely disingenuous since Benedict obviously thinks Mohammed was full of [expletive deleted], or he wouldn’t be the pope.
So that leaves the Islamists to rioting and killing until they tucker themselves out. And who’s the winner of all this? The Jews; finally they get a week or so to relax while the Islamists temporarily find something else to hate.
And what is left for us to do? One thing:
CAPTION CONTEST!

“PACKERS!!!”

Have at it in the comments.

Hippies scared.

Former Muslim (now Christian) blogger Mushiloon mentioned the best way to tell if someone has left Islam is if he eats pork (i.e., a Muslim will do other forbidden things – drink, gamble, not pray or fast – before eating pork.
Mushiloon further expands on why pork is forbidden, comparing the Jewish and Muslims beliefs, and also talks about the Muslim belief of the universal role of the Koran. A Muslim imam responds in the comments.
Worth a read since I noticed this Islam faith seems to be in the news a bit lately.