Meanwhile in the world...

Australians got a vodka-flavored ice cream and all the busybodies are pissing boiling water and screaming "but think about the children!". "Streets, which makes the Magnums now on sale in Victoria state as part of its "vice-cream" range, said the ice creams contained only vodka flavoring and no alcohol." Considering that vodka has no other flavor except that of alcohol, how do you get a vodka flavor without alcohol?

We are dragging Iraq, as Pratchett would say, kicking and screaming into the century of the Fruitbat. Is it really worth it?

Four or five terrorists have departed from Spain to Islamic heaven, unfortunately taking a police officer with them. The French have also caught a truckload of terrorists, and somebody blew up a bomb at a market in Kashmir and hurt 57 people.

US is starting to demand fingerprints from all European visitors in October, and everyone is pissed off. I don't quite understand why. I mean, I can well see it as an invasion of privacy but it's certainly not a bigger invasion of privacy than biometric passports will be. Maybe it's just that I've had my fingerprints taken more times than I can remember, but I certainly wouldn't be bothered if tomorrow the USA decided to take fingerprints of all Americans as well, or if Finland did. As long as they provide handwashing facilities afterwards, who cares?

The only thing that bothers me in the way the US government collects information is that I don't really believe in their skills of keeping the information safe from others.