"Non-Existent" Tighten-Up

I was just reading a story on National Geographic describing the discovery of a Flying Fox in the Philippines when a tighten up jumped out at me. The TU here goes to the "researcher" from University of Kansas who told his LOCAL guide that such a creature didn't exist when the guide described it to him. Way to reinforce the negative stereotype of Americans as pushy imperialists who think they know better then everyone else. Just because you got a PHD from some university you think you know better than a guy that has spent his whole life guiding unsuspecting tourists into the jungle. My favorite part is that the "researcher" then went back to his guide and apologized. I wish I knew what that fella was saying under his breathe immediately following that conversation...

The French already know

From the Times:

In Argenteuil, the Paris suburb where Mr. Sarkozy in 2005 described young delinquents as “scum,” Jocelyne Chauvin, a 53-year-old post office administrator, said that security concerns had driven her to vote for Mr. Sarkozy.

“We need to tighten things up,” said Ms. Chauvin, adding that putting young people to work should be the highest priority for the next president.

. . . and to think they have The Bomb

Oh Pakistan, when will you tighten up?

I'm all for brevity, but this article must be printed in full.

11 Killed at Pakistani Kite Festival
The Associated Press
Monday, February 26, 2007; 7:25 PM

LAHORE, Pakistan -- At least 11 people were killed and more than 100 people injured by sharpened kite strings, stray bullets and other accidents at an annual kite-flying festival in eastern Pakistan, officials said Monday.

The two-day Basant festival is regularly marred by casualties caused by sharpened kite strings or celebratory gunshots fired into the air. Kite flyers often use strings made of wire or coated with ground glass to try to damage a rival's kite, often after betting on the outcome.

Authorities had banned kite flying following a string of deaths at the festival last year, but temporarily lifted it before this year's event. Officials said the ban was re-imposed following the latest deaths.

Police arrested more than 700 people for using sharpened kite strings or firing guns, and seized nearly 300 illegal weapons during this year's festival, said Aftab Cheema, a senior Lahore police officer.

Five of those who died Sunday were hit by stray bullets, including a 6-year-old boy who was struck in the head, said Ruqia Bano, emergency services spokeswoman in Lahore.

A 16-year-old girl and a 12-year-old boy died after their throats were slashed by metal kite strings in separate incidents. Two people were electrocuted as they tried to recover kites tangled in overhead power cables, and two people fell from roofs, Bano said.