There were 10 of them in their checked luggage. The two were intercepted by Federal agents as they were boarding a flight bound for Bejing.

The men had been in the United States for about a week, said Rick Weir, assistant special agent in charge of the Los Angeles office of the Department of Commerce's Bureau of Industry and Security.

Yong Guo Zhi, a Chinese national, and Tah Wei Chao, a naturalized U.S. citizen, were arrested for investigation of trying to take thermal imaging cameras with potential military use to China without the proper export licenses, Weir said.

The article notes they have commercial uses as well. Which doesn't matter at all, they can't be legally exported in suitcases on a plane.

UPDATE: XBradTC notes the potential commercial use:

Those Panda mating training videos aren't gonna make themselves you know.

Posted by: XBradTC at April 05, 2008 03:43 PM (1DJgL)

I can see why you'd need to cover a few angles, yeah.

Posted by: Dave in Texas at 11:33 AM | Comments (18)
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A marauding band of pirates gave in to the temptation to spit upon their hands and hoist the black flag by seizing the 288 ft French yacht Le Ponant off the coast of Somalia yesterday. No passengers were on board at the time of the attack but an international crew of 30 are thought to be held hostage by the pirates. The US, French, and Canadian navies are said to be monitoring the situation and stand ready to act if necessary. Somali pirates captured over two dozen ships in the same area last year.

more...

Posted by: Open Blog at 09:46 AM | Comments (48)
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Yes, at some point I guess I'll kick this combination flu/malaise.

Posted by: Ace at 08:20 AM | Comments (51)
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Amusing here as Reuters attempts to spin how "valuable" the turtle is, and that the "impoverished" fishermen have no choice but to kill it for its purported aphrodisiac properties... as well as, supposedly, the turtle's ability to cure respiratory aliments in children.

I don't really care if some fishermen killed a valuable turtle they had caught. I probably would have killed it. I mean, how often do you get to whack an endgagered animal? Not often. I guess that's what makes them endangered.

But I know Reuters generally does whine abobut this sort of stuff -- except of course when it's their beloved Palestinians doing the killing.

Reuters is in the habit of excusing Palestinian killing; why not extend that license to turtles?

Thanks to Blacksheep.

Posted by: Ace at 06:30 AM | Comments (33)
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Joe Klein of Time finally discovers Obama's biggest problem, that which we conservatives instinctively zeroed in on after Rev. Wright appeared. And it is NOT race: more...

Posted by: Open Blog at 06:15 AM | Comments (49)
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Pot's a gateway drug to stupidity:

The rapper, real name Calvin Broadus Jr., insists the Democratic candidate has received funding from historically anti-black organisation the Ku Klux Klan (KKK). He says, "The KKK gave Obama money. They was (sic) one of his biggest supporters... Why wouldn't they be? The media won't tell you that. They don't want you to know that. They just want you to know that this n**ger befriended this other n**ger who be (sic) threatening your values. "But we all know all presidents lie to get into f**king office. That's they (sic) job."

In case you hadn't heard, there's a segment of the black population which opposes Obama because whitey will be able to say there's no racism left. So to prove there is still racism, they want the black guy to lose. Odd, but I guess I get that.

Thanks to Alice H.

Posted by: Ace at 05:31 AM | Comments (44)
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Bush's Amerikkka:

A woman was sentenced to death Friday for killing a Missouri mother-to-be and cutting the baby from her womb. Lisa Montgomery becomes the third woman on federal death row.

She was convicted in October of kidnapping resulting in death in the Dec. 16, 2004, killing of Bobbie Jo Stinnett. Montgomery was arrested at her farmhouse a day after showing off Stinnett's baby as her own.

...

Prosecutors presented evidence during the trial that Montgomery strangled Stinnett with a rope, then used a kitchen knife to cut her daughter from the womb. Stinnett was eight months pregnant at the time.

...

"The thing that happened here is horrible and we can't say anything differently about that and wouldn't even try, but what we've tried to express to everybody who would listen is just the sweet person she is," [the murdress' defense attorney] is."

Thanks to Penfold.

Posted by: Ace at 05:22 AM | Comments (26)
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What's it look like when a car hits a wall, just about head on at over 180 mph? This.

I don't know a ton about NASCAR but I know they have a newly designed car that is supposed to be safer. Given this hit and the fact that the driver walked away, I'd say they succeeded.

Posted by: DrewM at 08:39 PM | Comments (55)
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Another business enterprise with the intent to broaden brand appeal for AoSHQ has met with resistance.

This one really hits us where it hurts.

more...

Posted by: Open Blog at 07:53 PM | Comments (9)
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Via Gatewaypundit, another reach-for-your-popcorn moment:

A woman was dragged kicking, biting and screaming from a Hillary event last night in California. The secret service dragged the woman from the Wilshire Theater in Los Angeles after she started screaming that she was the only black person in the room.
Ben Smith at The Politico reported:

A Clinton volunteer at the Wilshire writes that he witnessed what happened before the woman was arrested:

"Not only did she attack another person at the event (she literally bit a woman, which drew blood and required bandages), she was screaming profanities and tried to urinate in the doorway to the theater! She was both verbally and physically confrontational to volunteers (I was one of them) and to the Secret Service, as well!"

It's like Christmas every day of the week.

Posted by: Gabriel Malor at 07:30 PM | Comments (31)
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