Still on vacation, extended for a couple more days. I am so thoroughly content here in my little nook far, far away from everything.

Some news I've been tracking:

George Bush and neo-cons plant volcano beneath Antarctica to make global warming worse. Or, ya know, NOT.

Although ice buried the unnamed volcano, molten rock is still churning below. David Vaughan, a glaciologist with the BAS and a co-author of the new study, said the discovery might explain the speeding up of historically slow-moving glaciers in the region.
"This eruption occurred close to Pine Island Glacier on the West Antarctic Ice Sheet," Vaughan said. "The flow of this glacier towards the coast has speeded up in recent decades, and it may be possible that heat from the volcano has caused some of that acceleration."
The effect is similar to a person gliding down a Slip 'n Slide: Volcanically melted water beneath the colossal ice sheet lubricates its movement, assisting its gravity-powered journey toward the Antarctic Ocean.

Of course, the scientists are saying global warming caused the volcano, not the other way around. Not sure what the rationale is behind that...

Iraqi says British mosques are MORE radical than Iraqi ones. Not a very settling thought, is it?

Dr Barham Salih claimed some mosques in Blackburn would be banned in Iraq for the extremist messages they preach.

He made his comments during a dinner party in Baghdad attended by Tory culture spokesman Tobias Ellwood.

The 41-year-old MP claimed Dr Salih said: "I am not surprised that you British are facing so many problems with extremists after what I saw in those mosques in Blackburn.

"What I saw would not be allowed here in Iraq. It would be illegal."

Heath Ledger is dead. Who? Oh right, the other gay cowboy.

Today's yuck factor:

A world-famous Canadian war memorial that even Adolf Hitler treated with respect is being desecrated by kinky local adventurers posing for photographs and videos that are later being posted on porn websites.

A Canadian official said Tuesday the federal government is reviewing security procedures at the Canadian War Memorial at Vimy Ridge, site of the famous 1917 Canadian battle victory that helped both win the First World War and forge the young Canadian nation. Among the dead were 3,598 who lost their lives taking the seemingly invulnerable German position at Vimy.

Three court cases are underway involving indecent incidents at the memorial that honours more than 60,000 Canadians who died and many more wounded. The hearings have been closed to media coverage, but reports say people have exposed themselves or engaged in public sexual acts.

I hate people.