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From the BBC:

Asian countries have signed a landmark treaty to create a highway that will connect Asia with Europe, like the ancient Silk Road trading route.

The treaty was signed by 23 nations at a UN meeting and outlines a network that will link the continents in some 140,000 km (87,000 miles) of roads.
Â…

Reports say the main route is expected to start in Tokyo and terminate in Istanbul - passing though North and South Korea, China and countries in South-East, Central and South Asia.

Okay, you caught me. This is old news. They reached the agreement in, like, 2004. If thereÂ’s any fresh info, itÂ’s that theyÂ’ll be meeting next month to work out the final production details andÂ… Okay, thatÂ’s weak too.

Look, I put this up cause I love maps, love to stare at all the pretty red lines imagining IÂ’m on some not-sure-where-IÂ’m-headed, but-donÂ’t-really-care road trip. Then I see some map bout some Asian super-colossal megahighway connecting up Singapore, Mongolia, India, China, Finland? Well... forget about it. IÂ’m in love. And donÂ’t tell me youÂ’re not either. Cause that would make you a liar, liar.

I ran into this over at the super-colossal excellent BLDGBLOG where there're plenty more good links on the project.

Posted by: Dr. Reo Symes at 03:04 PM | Comments (67)
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Giant freakin' camels:

Swiss researchers say they have found the fossil remains of gigantic camels - as tall as giraffes - that roamed the steppes of central Syria some 100,000 years ago.

Giant. Freakin'. Camels.

Posted by: Ace at 01:32 PM | Comments (23)
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Pennsylvania may allow hunters to use the ancient atlatl to hunt, which is basically a javelin launched by a long stick with a spoon-like receiver for the butt of the spear. The stick gives a greater mechanical advantage to the throw, extending reach and the distance moved via that critical wrist-snap. It was pretty big in Mesoamerica.

An ancient weapon that was apparently used as early as prehistoric times to slay woolly mammoths may soon be added to the arsenals of Pennsylvania hunters.

The state Game Commission is drafting proposed regulations to allow hunters to use the atlatl, a small wooden device that propels a six-foot dart as fast as 80 mph. The commission could vote in January and make a final decision in April, officials said.

...

"For me, it would be a thrill to have a deer get up close enough and to throw my dart and hit the deer, bag it like my ancestors did," said Jack Rowe, 45, a veteran hunter and atlatl enthusiast from Sayre.

The move may be vigorously opposed by the Spear Manufacturers of America:

Even spear hunters — Alabama game law also allows spears — outnumber those using atlatls.

"As you might imagine, it's not something that most people have the skill or the patience for," Andress said.

Yes, as you might imagine.

Meanwhile, I'm petitioning New York to begin allowing hunters to hunt quail by use of "Lightning bolt! Lightning bolt! Lightning bolt!" Kill 'em 'n cook 'em in one easy step.

Posted by: Ace at 06:27 AM | Comments (49)
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Scandalous that only six or so Senators even bothered to read the NIE.

You know the real reason they didn't bother? Because everyone was certain Saddam had WMD's and had some level of cooparation with Al Qaeda.

But it's absolutely breathtaking that children who didn't have the time to read an 80 page digest of intelligence now claim to have been "misled" by documents that remained pristinely in their high school lockers for the entire semester.

Posted by: Ace at 06:01 AM | Comments (28)
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He fled our country due to the mythical crushing of dissent here, and our alleged puritanism. Granted, we take a dim view of men who publicly masturbate on our subways while eyefucking a lone, frightened female passenger, and sure, we're not as enlightened as the Europeans when it comes to the "pause that refreshes" on public transportation, but it can't be that Johnny Depp is that hard up to need such indulgences.

Hell, he's had at least one successful project since 21 Jump Street. One hit in 20+ years... not too shabby.

But now France is all chaotic and stuff and he wants to come home.

At least we won't have to hear him whining about how violent America is, or how we're such bastards about our racial inequalities.

Posted by: Ace at 05:39 AM | Comments (21)
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"A disgrace," said Nancy Pelosi, referring to the Republican "stunt" (well, okay-- just stunt) to put the resolution to a vote.

No, Nancy. The disgrace is that your caucus offers proposals like this in an unserious way, merely to damage the President and undermine the effort to win this war, without any real desire to vote in favor of them.

The Democrats say this was a sham proposal, because Murtha didn't call for the "immediate" termination of operations in Iraq. Well, actually, he used exactly that word in press conferences. In his actual resolution (or bill?), he used the language "at the earliest practicable date," but that's dogfood. Bush also wants to get out "at the earliest practicable date," consistent with victory, a clause missing from Murtha's Cut and Run Bill.

I want to get out "at the earliest practicable date." So, I would imagine, does every poster here. To paraphrase Bill Clinton, it all depends on what "practicable" practices. "Practicable," as far as victory, or "practicable," as far as a simple matter of the logistics necessary to safely bug out? (And on that point: Do the Democrats really imagine the Republican proposal imagined the unsafe evacuation of our troops?)

Murtha's proposal seeks to obscure what exactly he means, and he shouldn't be allowed to do so. The American people have a right to know precisely what a proposal means, even if the antiwar left would prefer to keep such trifling details vague.

Still, the GOP might have done a better job of making this resolution more closely track with Murtha's, by specifiying what Murtha left deliberately left out -- "at the earliest practicable date, regardless of whether or not victory has been achieved, and regardless of of whether or not Iraq will be immediately destabilized by the withdrawal and descend into civil war and state-sponsored terrorism." That's what the Murtha bill means, even if it is politic enough not to actually say so.

The Democrats are complaining that this resolution, with its direct and blunt language about "immediate termination," does not fairly reflect the substance of the Murtha proposal. Bullshit. It represents the meaning of the proposal perfectly; it's just not phrased in disingenuous, obscurant language.

Thanks for the "Bush the Uniter" headline to an anonymous poster.

You anonymous guys really should post under a name, even a false one, just so everyone can get to know you. Even if you post as "Fartsy McStinkers," at least having a name will allow everyone to get to know the Fartsy McStinkers doctrine.

Update: Chirac sends "surrender specialists," also known as French generals, to assist the Democrats in their brave initiative to cowardly cut and run.

Not really. But the Democrats and French are so closely aligned on this -- we cannot afford an American victory; true courage is displayed by rank cowardice -- that we might as well make it official. Republicans represent the interests of big American corporations; Democrats represent the interests of big French corporations.

Posted by: Ace at 05:16 AM | Comments (84)
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(Photoshop stolen from Little Green Footballs)

Posted by: Harry Callahan at 05:25 PM | Comments (20)
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What the hell is a no-talent assclown like Paris Hilton going to do with an XBOX 360? On the bright side, if she did try and set it up, I bet she'd electrocute herself, leaving the world without Paris Hilton and with an XBOX 360 that needs a home. Win win!

As long as I get my pre-order shipped to me on time, I'll be okay. Otherwise, Paris Hilton, I come for you!

Anyone else here in a nerd-frenzy as we approach the launch of next-gen gaming goodness?

(Fixed Roman Numeral Loose Shit. Geez, you guys are picky!)

Posted by: Harry Callahan at 02:20 PM | Comments (25)
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Brilliant.

We all know how courageous the Democrats are when they're asked to actually vote on matters of war and peace, don't we?

Many will vote against the withdrawal idea-- with lots of excuses and caveats, of course. But it's a great idea to get reaffirmation of our commitment to victory in Iraq from these chickenshits, even if that reaffirmation is a basically a calculated political lie.

Related: WunderKraut's pretty steamed at Dems who have put beating Bush over beating bin Ladin and Zarqawi.

The sad truth is that they've painted themselves into the corner where they cannot allow the United States to win this war. The political damage to them would be too great. It's not so much they actively want the US to be defeated, humiliated, and further threatened; it's just at this point they cannot afford any other outcome. Same as the French and German governments.

Posted by: Ace at 11:46 AM | Comments (106)
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Trailer over at Dave's place.

It's... okay.

Among the problems with the trailer: It's just stuff we've already seen in the first two Superman films. (The good ones.)

The music is the same, and they even use Marlon Brando's voice-over as Jor-El... though I assume the music is in there just as a place-holder (trailers often use music from other movies, as the score isn't usually finished by the time publicity begins) and the Brando voice-over is just for nostalgia.

It looks like a somewhat more stately, less comic remake of the first Superman movie, pretty much, with Superman wearing a darker-colored outfit. Which isn't necessarily bad, but...

Batman Begins worked (at least through the first hour) because it was all stuff we'd not seen before. They never really told Batman's origins in any of the movies, except in brief, broad flashbacks, so all that stuff was good and new.

They did tell Superman's origin in the '78 picture, and pretty much nailed it, so... how exactly is this going to be superior? It doesn't even look very different. Krypton looks just like Krypton did in the '78 pic, except rockier, less crystalline. The Kent home is still just nostalgic heartland Americana, and Clark Kent still apparently finds that Kryptonian crystal in the Kent family barn.

They even re-do the meeting between Lois Lane and Superman on her penthouse rooftop.

It's a straight remake, it seems, not a reboot like the Batman pic was.

Different villain, probably, so the last half will be different-ish, but different enough?

Bryan Singer's got a talent for this, but it's hard to see how he can improve on what were a pretty damn good (and true to the comics) couple of movies. The new Batman film was only competing with the wildly-overrated, doesn't-hold-up-well-and-it-wasn't-very-good-even-at-the-time Burton misfires.

They'll have to take out a lot of the light comic touches of the '70's films, just to create a different tone, which is too bad, because the original two Superman films really got that balance pretty much exactly right. They were funny without being campy, wry without being self-spoofing.

I don't even like Superman much, but they're still the best superhero movies out there (close competition from X-Men). I'm a big fan of Batman and Spiderman, but I'd rather watch either of the first two Superman movies over the Tim Burton Batman movies or even the (better, but not great) Sam Raimi Spiderman pictures.

What about that old adage that one should only remake bad or at least greatly flawed movies? Can't someone do something with Captain America?

Don't Fix What Ain't Broke Update: I guess I admire Singer's courage in recognizing the fundamental strength of the original Supe move, and just duplicating that. A lesser director might be tempted to change things just for the sake of changing them, to avoid direct comparisons, to put his personal stamp on the franchise.

But the problem remains that that first film was very strong. Making his remake, no matter how good, sort of unnecessary, a superfluous Superman.

Then again... taking out all that silliness about changing the rotation of the earth and going back in time might be enough to make this a slightly better movie.

Wrong, Wrong, Wrong: Dave says I'm wrong about the remake aspect. I quote him after the jump, just because this post on a superhero movie has really gotten far too long.
more...

Posted by: Ace at 11:35 AM | Comments (35)
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