blogteq

Below article written by my man Matt Fisher. Used to hang with Matt back in the stan, those were some good times.

By the by, I can tell you that More than a couple of times I saw some Afghan guys coming out of the back of US humvees after having been messed up pretty good by the Americans I presume for information, and then theyd run them to medical before turfing them out the front gate. I never saw anything like this at Julien or canadian only bases, although if they needed to go to town on some poor guy there’d be no reason to drag them back to the base. JTF may have had cause to lay down a few beatings in the the old days, but now Id say less so.

Few people truly understand the kinds of people that the intelligence community has to deal with, and frankly we are at war and sometimes these dudes deserve everything they get. That being said, there is no reason to contravene the Geneva convention, we have to aspire to higher truths, even at the cost of “American lives”. You cant fight fire with fire. Unfortunately it happens all the time. Did the Canadians know some of these guys were getting a tire iron taken to their feet after they were handed over to afghan authorities? Of course. Can they do anything about it? No. Pressuring afghan politicos at the top is a long way from the shitty, dank dungeons these guys get thrown into. Karzai has little or no control himself.

Furthermore, this little election they just had for new leadership was a joke yes, as most entry level democracies are in the first few and perhaps many elections. It wasnt Karzai who stuffed the ballots or caused them to be stuffed, it was those who would prefer to see the status quo remain firmly in place, and let me tell you, there are a LOT of people who like the status quo in afghanistan, as there are a lot of corrupt people in power under Karzai. The people of Afghanistan dont want or need the status quo, but theyll have to start a revolution to disrupt it before too long.

Cannon denies all Canadian detainees tortured by Afghans: ”

BY MATTHEW FISHER, CANWEST NEWS SERVICENOVEMBER 19, 2009

An inquiry is looking into whether military police lived up to Canada’s international obligations in transferring battlefield detainees to Afghan jailers.
Photograph by: Brian Hutchinson/National Post, National Post
KANDAHAR, Afghanistan — Foreign Affairs Minister Lawrence Cannon emphatically stated Thursday that disaffected diplomat Richard Colvin’s claims that all detainees handed over to Afghan authorities by Canadian troops were subsequently tortured were unproven.

‘There were a lot of allegations, but there is no proof to what Mr. Colvin had to say,’ in testimony to a parliamentary committee Wednesday, Cannon said during a telephone interview from Kabul where he was attending the inauguration of Afghan President H”

(Via .)

Playing with new avatar software on iPhone and came up with the above. Also finally got wordpress going on the iPhone. Nice!

Ancient skeletons discovered in Georgia threaten to overturn the theory of human evolution | Mail Online: “ 

Ancient skeletons discovered in Georgia threaten to overturn the theory of human evolution
By DAVID DERBYSHIRE
Last updated at 1:26 PM on 09th September 2009

For generations, scientists have believed Africa was the cradle of mankind.

Now a stunning archaeological discovery suggests our primitive ancestors left Africa to explore the world around 800,000 years earlier than was previously thought before returning to their home continent.

It was there – hundreds of thousands of years later – that they evolved into modern humans and embarked on a second mass migration, researchers say.

Some of the best work I have seen…

Captured Photo Collection » Photographer Collection: Emilio Morenatti Photos: “ 

Captured
A Denver Post News Photo Blog

Home
Photographer Collection: Emilio Morenatti
March 23rd, 2009
Emilio Morenatti began his career in Spain covering both national and international events. In 2003, he traveled to Afghanistan as a correspondent to cover the war and the fall of the Taliban for the Associated Press. He was sent to the Middle East to cover the conflict for the AP in 2005. In 2006, while covering the conflict in Gaza City, he was kidnapped by gunmen before being released unharmed a day later. He is currently based in Pakistan and covers Central Asia for the Associated Press. He was named 2008 Newspaper Photographer of the Year by Pictures of the Year International. Below is a collection of his images from 2008 and so far in 2009.
 

Wow.

13,000 McDonald’s Locations Visualized As They Sink US Into Ocean – McDonald’s – Gizmodo: ”

INFOGRAPHIC
13,000 McDonald’s Locations Visualized As They Sink US Into Ocean
By Mark Wilson, 2:20 PM on Wed Sep 23 2009, 28,719 views
No, this map isn’t charting swine influenza outbreaks but something far more deadly—all 13,000 ‘or so’ McDonald’s restaurants in the US. How simultaneously gross and delicious. [Weather Sealed via Neatorama]

MCDONALD’S

LIGHTING
McDonald’s Lamp Post Makes Me Doubt My Sanity Even More
If I was walking through the streets to find this McDonald’s coffee themed lamp post, three would be my thoughts: One”

See Here

This is some of the best photo work I have seen on Afghanistan and Pakistan

Captured Photo Collection » Photographer Collection: Emilio Morenatti Photos: “ 

Photographer Collection: Emilio Morenatti
March 23rd, 2009
Emilio Morenatti began his career in Spain covering both national and international events. In 2003, he traveled to Afghanistan as a correspondent to cover the war and the fall of the Taliban for the Associated Press. He was sent to the Middle East to cover the conflict for the AP in 2005. In 2006, while covering the conflict in Gaza City, he was kidnapped by gunmen before being released unharmed a day later. He is currently based in Pakistan and covers Central Asia for the Associated Press. He was named 2008 Newspaper Photographer of the Year by Pictures of the Year International. Below is a collection of his images from 2008 and so far in 2009.
 

Very interesting article and data representation of how people are influenced by each other.

The Buddy System: How Medical Data Revealed Secret to Health and Happiness: “

A revolution in the science of social networks began with a stash of old papers found in a storeroom in Framingham, Massachusetts. They were the personal records of 5,124 male and female subjects from the Framingham Heart Study. Started in 1948, the ongoing project has revealed many of the risk factors associated with cardiovascular disease, including smoking and hypertension.

8 Foods That Should Never Be Canned [Tgif]: “

Canned foods are convenient and they keep well, but they can also turn otherwise appetizing foodstuffs into something Andrew Zimmern probably wouldn’t have the guts to eat. Here are ten examples.

Mmmm…a whole chicken in a can. God, it looks like it was just birthed out of an aluminum womb. [Link]
Somehow, the idea of canned bread dough seems palatable while cooked and canned bread seems weird. This is especially true if the can is covered in anime characters and dispensed out of a vending machine. [Tokyo Times]
Hot dogs are scary enough without stewing in their own gross juices for years on end. [Food Network Humor]
There is something unsettling about bacon being stuffed inside a can for 10 years. [Link]
I’m not a big fan of canned meat in general—and the marketing department at Heinz isn’t helping matters. [Food Network Humor]
Ahh, the infamous canburger. If you were ever curious about what this might taste like, wonder no more.
Ugh, anyone for some soggy hot wings? [Food Network Humor]
Okay, I understand that there is a stigma associated with putting wine in containers other than a corked bottle—but canning it like a soda is just weird. [Wine In a Can]
Bonus: Who doesn’t love a good Manhattan Style Fish Asshole? A joke obviously, but it sounds about as appetizing as the other stuff on this list. [Gunaxin]

(Via Gizmodo.)

London’s Earliest Timber Structure Found During Belmarsh Prison Dig: ”
London’s Earliest Timber Structure Found During Belmarsh Prison Dig
ScienceDaily (Aug. 14, 2009) — London’s oldest timber structure has been unearthed by archaeologists from Archaeology South-East (part of the Institute of Archaeology at University College London). It was found during the excavation of a prehistoric peat bog adjacent to Belmarsh Prison in Plumstead, Greenwich, in advance of the construction of a new prison building. Radiocarbon dating has shown the structure to be nearly 6,000 years old and it predates Stonehenge by more than 500 years.

June’s record ocean warmth worries fishermen, environmentalists | McClatchy: ”

WASHINGTON — Ocean surface temperatures around the world were the warmest on record for the month of June, according to federal scientists, though they caution that one month doesn’t necessarily imply global warming.

The warmer temperatures do confirm that an ocean phenomenon known as El Nino is building in the Pacific Ocean.

Some scientists think that the rising temperatures hint at broader changes, perhaps resulting from global climate change. Environmentalists and fishermen are wary of what it may mean.

‘It’s really kind of disturbing,’ said Zeke Grader, the executive director of”

Link to Video Here

As Studios Cut Budgets, Indie Filmmakers Go Do-It-Yourself – NYTimes.com: “Independent Filmmakers Distribute on Their Own”

This is how much the US has sold of itself in the last year or so. Pretty Staggering.

(Right click to view full Image)

Ohhhhh yes I did.

Apple LED Cinema Display (24″ flat panel) – Apple Store (Canada)

Crazy Dawg! Go Peter jackson!

YouTube – District 9 Trailer (HD):

Classic, and well done.

YouTube – How Differential Gear works (BEST Tutorial)

Outgoing ambassador says Canada has much to be proud of in Afghanistan – The Canadian Press: “

CTV.ca

Outgoing ambassador says Canada has much to be proud of in Afghanistan The Canadian Press KANDAHAR, Afghanistan — Canadas outgoing ambassador to Afghanistan says the insurgency is strong and determined, and deep-rooted challenges lie ahead for … Canada should be proud of role in Afghanistan: ambassadorGlobe and Mail Afghanistans new ambassador hopeful for military progressVancouver Sun NATO is an unwelcome wedding guestToronto Star TheChronicleHerald.ca‘-Globe and Mail‘-Vancouver Sun all 52 news articles’»

“

(Via afghanistan canada – Google News.)

Seriously Incredible Water Slide Jump: Please Be Real – Megawoosh – Gizmodo: ”

Seriously Incredible Water Slide Jump: Please Be Real
By Adam Frucci, 7:20 PM on Wed Aug 5 2009, 15,165 views
This video shows a crazy man launching himself off an epically-large water slide and landing perfectly in a kiddie pool very far away from it. Is it fake? I suspect so, but I really want it to be real.

The site that explains the stunt is all in German, save one vague video in English. Can any German-speakers descipher this and determine its validity? Please don’t dash my dreams. If this is a viral ad for adult diapers or something I’m going to be re”

What Is This? [Image Cache]: “

Please, can somebody tell me what the hell is this green thing parked in a Russian airfield? Who built this nutty contraption?

Apparently, some crazy vodka-addicted Russian engineers/mechanics/crazy Ivans decided that putting together a Soviet-era truck, a gas tank, a top cockpit, and a jet turbine was something useful. Or funny. Or both. What the frak does this thing really do? What is its purpose? Apparently nobody knows. And, most probably, we will never know.

I guess I’d have to hunt this one down, and press the big red button. [Dark Roasted Blend]

(Via Gizmodo.)