A know this is silly as it only applies to two questions a week but hey it may be still a bit of fun. Nursery Rhymes and Proverbs.

Area commander Janssen was getting more information than he could handle. Things were happening all over his city, in no sensible order. He needed his deputy commanders, but they were dead. Or his civilian assistant, but he was in prison.

“Sir. Reports from Stran Island say three of the runways are out of action and half the….”

“Spotters report hundreds of planes from seaward.”

“Spotters?” Janssen was furious, “Can they not see anything with that damnable RADIF!”

“Sir, the RADIF was on Stran.”

“Stran docks report ten coastal craft of forty are operational.”

“Sir, our men outside are being fired on.”

The man next to Janssen realised he was shaking. Rapidly everyone in the room noted their commander’s state. The voices faded as they waited for him to collapse or recover.

“KILL THEM!! Kill them all!”

“Sir?”

“Raze all the buildings! From here to the glacier! If they are coming to relieve the city then I shall leave no city for them.”

“Sir, is that the best..”

Janssen had drawn his gun and was pointing it at the young officer. It had always been suggested that the weapon was for show and never loaded. But this was not the time to find out if that were true. “Do you question my orders?”

“No sir.”

“Then begin it. Now!”

So the order went out. The assembled troops weren’t to report to defence stations, but should proceed to destroy the old town.

The Sokoine University of Agriculture in Tanzania is doing research into training rats to find mines. It’s definitely a more humane use for them than in my Rats of War story, that’s for sure.

The rats are put through their paces on minefield at the university campus.

Mr Cox reassured BBC News Online that none of the animals had been lost to any explosive errors.

via Burnt Toast

Technorati tag: Rats

Maybe if I wrote a children’s book, I could be the New JK Rowling too.

They banked the flying boat away from the smoke of battle, reassessing their route to shore. “They are probably aiming for the same landfall as we were.” Gim pointed to the ships forming a staggered line in the distance.

“We can still be there before them.” Bobb pointed out.

“But we would need a bargaining chip sooner than we had planned.” Sheel added.

“Perhaps some of their people are still in the water. Drop down and head back toward the battleground for a while.”

They banked and dropped height, heading for the oils slick where there had previously been a ship. The debris field was being stretched out along the tidal path, just beginning to arc away from the distant shore. There were barrels, shards of planking, bodies and, finally, a yellow life raft.

The figure in the raft spotted the plane and stood to wave their oar in the air.

They circled the dinghy twice. “She has the same uniform as the fliers earlier,” Gimm decided, “and she expects us to rescue her.”

“Well let’s not disappoint her then.” Bobb flew a distance away then banked to line up a landing. With the flaps down, the plane flying as slowly as possible and the nose pointing upward in near stall, they settled toward the uneven surface of the sea.

The plane landed, and the nose pitched forward and a wave of water washed over it. For a moment the windows were green as it seemed they must continue diving. Then they bobbed up again, wallowing in their own swell until the propellers gained purchase and they began moving.

The woman in the raft shouted greetings as they drew near, but her expression was confused when Sheel opened the side hatch. She took the grappling pole when it was offered her, and accepted Gimm’s helping hand when she was alongside, but obviously knew this was no ordinary rescue party. She knew better than to argue when Sheel lifted the gun from her belt.

“What is your name?” Gimm asked, his accent a jumble.

“Jayn.”

“We go ashore. Where your people head.” He pointed out of the cockpit window, though there was nothing but grey haze in the direction he indicated. “Sit. We are taking off.”

Jayn belted herself into the indicated seat. Her captors, or her rescuers- she still wasn’t sure, turned their attention to the view ahead as they lined up for take off.

Forget WMDs sweetness and light cannot be found at this page.

Courtesy of Marcus and Daz

And I quote from The Daily Record News:

Fanny Road span again bridges three towns

Ribbon cutting greets ‘gorgeous, absolutely gorgeous’ structure

By Rob Seman, Daily Record

Article here.

This is the holy grail. In California they are in the middle of a recall vote for the governship. I know I can’t write sentences, and I realise my American education was a let down, BUT PLEASE READ THIS DOCUMENT. It outlines why the governor should be recalled and the Governors reponse. One page. Think about it. One page. No Doctoral thesis in this ONE document:

RECALL NOTICE. Straight from the government website. ONE PAGE!

Thanks Fark, for pointing out the farking idiocy of todays American politics.