Vegan Baking

How to subtitute eggs, milk, etc when baking. The Post Punk Kitchen tells you how. link

On Killing

Is anyone ever truly prepared to kill? From Christian Science Monitor

Much is rightly made of the dedication and sacrifice of those willing to lay down their lives for their country. But what is rarely spoken of, within the military or American society at large, is what it means to kill - to overcome the ingrained resistance most human beings feel to slaying one of their own kind, and the haunting sense of guilt that may accompany such an action. There is a terrible price to be paid by those who go to war, their families, and their communities, say some experts, by ignoring such realities.

link

Gourmet Chocolate Review

Reviews of yummy Chocolates by Meta-Efficient. link

Kite-Photos

Engadget's HOW-TO: Take digital photos from a kite.

HOW-TO: Take digital photos from a kite Part 1, the camera - Engadget - www.engadget.com

HOW-TO: Take digital photos from a kite, Part 2, the kite and the pictures - Engadget - www.engadget.com

Aerial Kite Photo Gallery and 360 degree Panorama from Scott Haefner

Frank Gehry Unleashes Design

Gehry Menaces Onlookers with new creation....

Frank Gehry recently unveiled his design of the new World Cup of Hockey trophy at his home town of Toronto. Here's an excerpt from the Toronto Sun's cheeky coverage of the press conference.

When Gehry pulled the covering off the trophy, it was like someone had tugged the burlap bag off the Elephant Man.

This was a quintessential Canadian moment. Here was one of our own, brought back because he hit it big in the States, unveiling the worst idea anyone ever conceived, to a stupefied crowd.

We have learned one thing: In a pinch, an enterprising cop could use the World Cup of Hockey trophy as a stun gun.

No one, not one reporter, spoke what each and every one of us was feeling.

No one jumped up and said, "Judas Priest, Frank, what the hell is that?"

On Iraq:Photo journal of Iraqi policemen

As the Iraqi insurgency persists violently before the June 30, 2004 hand-over deadline, a common target for the insurgents seems to be the newly formed Iraqi police force. Variety of attacks using car bombs, heavily armed men, and mortars have targeted police officers and police infrastructures like stations and academies. But, the news reports always felt like an abstraction -- a sterile Police Blotter report.

Example from recent BBC reports: (Mosul 6-24-04, car bombs went off in the al-Wakhas district and on the Wadi Hajar police station in the south of the city the Iraqi Police Academy, another police station and the al-Jumhuri hospital were also attacked, said police and doctors.)

So, when I recently saw this BBC News feature involving a photo journal of a Baghdad Iraqi Policeman, I was curious to find out more. In this undated article, an Iraqi police officer describes a day in the newly formed police force. [summary]: In a fairly upbeat fashion, he details his daily routine and working with American Military Polices (MPs). From his comments, it's hard to get a handle on the day-to-day security picture around his precinct, he only talks about local petty thieves. Additionally, I get the sense of hope and optimism. Unfortunately, I can't figure out the time frame of his opinions, and whether or not they were before or after the uptick in violence (which may or may not involve his area), and the Abu Graibe prisoner scandal. link

Update: Slate.com has a new article on why Iraqi Cops are struggling. An Excerpt

Then the war came. Saddam was replaced by Americans who gave you 100 bucks a month, a blue shirt, and a 9 mm Glock pistol. They appointed a new captain, a former soldier, and told him he was king of the precinct. Things were looking up.

That was a year ago. Now the captain is a black scorch mark outside the station where the car bomb went off. The Americans are talking about detective training, but how can you investigate theft when you're being shot at each day? The new captain won't patrol without an armored escort. Your father has received death threats if you don't resign. You don't know who the bad guys are. You suspect two or three men, but if you haul them in and hang them by their thumbs, the Americans will have you fired. Or worse, some fellow Iraqi will put a bullet in your head.

link

Paper Printout Toys

Yamaha Motor has cool paper schematics that you can download, print, and assemble into toy paper models. Themes vary from its core product, motorcycles, to colorful rare animals, and holiday decorations (like Jack O'Lanterns). The details are incredible. For example, the "YZR-R1" model consists of 14 pages worth of parts. Additionally, you can construct an additional garage, that includes a Mechanic's toolbox, spare tires, bike mount, and spare cans. Impressive.... link

Update: Canon also has a very nice site on paper toy assembly. Check it out here: link