Most realistic video game — ever

Part two

Part three

And, if you really want to make it to the end –

Part four

Update: Welcome, Ace of Spades HQ readers.

If you haven’t seen it yet, check out A Charlie Brown Motha#%@in Ramadan. Charlie Brown gives up the pimp and ho biz to convert to Islam. Very NSFW and don’t watch if you’ll be offended by the Peanuts gang using the F-word every other word.

This post is Moosetracked at the Bullwinkle Blog.

The very first Star Wars movie

A long, looooong time ago…

Spiders on drugs

A scientific study in Canada where they observed the behavior of spiders after exposing them to various drugs.

Fascinating.

Best temporary page…

At least this week.

Protein Wisdom:

Back in a few minutes

We’re upgrading our publishing software so that you all can see things the way I do — with swirly colors, and text made out of lollipops and gummy bears…

Michael Totten — Hanging with Hezbollah

So, you think you know a little bit about what’s going on in the Middle East, or specifically, Lebanon? Not unless you read Michael Totten.

Michael is back from his latest trip overseas. This year he’s been in Beirut, Turkey and Northern Iraq, Israel during the conflict with Hezbollah and now back to Beirut to find out first hand how the Lebanese are coping after the Hezbollah/Israeli conflict and in the March 14th era.

If you care anything about what is going on the the world, get over to Michael’s site and start reading.

Hanging with Hezbolla

BEIRUT – After Hezbollah mounted a protest aimed at bringing down Lebanon’s elected government, several thousand demonstrators remained downtown and camped out in tents, effectively occupying the center of the city. They first tried to seize and occupy Prime Minister Fouad Seniora’s office in the Ottoman-era Serail. But Seniora warned Hezbollah that if his office were taken he could not control his “street.” Translation: If you seize the state’s institutions, the Sunni Muslims of Lebanon are going to kill you. Hezbollah knew this was true, and so they backed off. It didn’t hurt that the government of Saudi Arabia backed up Seniora on this point. But Hezbollah’s occupation of the neutral parts of downtown continues even into 2007.

I ventured downtown myself the day after the made-for-TV protest was over, when Hezbollah and friends no longer wanted attention from foreign media. Their lack of interest, if I could call it that, was instantly obvious. Ubiquitous security agents with the tell-tale sunglasses and earpieces stared at me coldly and turned their heads as I walked past.

Hundreds of tents were set up in parks, parking lots, and squares downtown, most of them made of white canvass. I snapped a few pictures, and nobody stepped in to stop me.

One group of tents in a parking lot across from the Hariri mosque were all made of black canvas. What’s up with the black tents, I wondered. So I walked over and lifted my camera to my face.

Five ear-pieced Hezbollah agents aggressively pounced on me at once. They surrounded me and screamed “No!” Then they physically pushed me away from the tents and got in my face so I could not see behind them.

I’ve been accused of spying many times while in Lebanon, and it wouldn’t surprise me in the least if this is what the Hezbollah agents thought I was doing. Many Lebanese are paranoid – often with good reason – but no one is nearly as paranoid as Hezbollah. (As a side note, one Lebanese man who suspected I worked for the CIA literally begged me to get him a job.)

“Sahafi!” I yelled back at them. Journalist!

“No, no, no!” they yelled and pushed me away. I lowered my camera, threw up my hands, and turned to walk away. Then they left me alone.

It’s almost always like this or worse when I run into actual members of the Hezbollah militia.

Go read the rest…