If it makes you feel any better, I don't think they're laughing at them behind their backs. Or to their faces. You really don't hear much about them up here since the Bali attack.

Your foreign minister is named Downer? OMFG!

BTW, I've noticed not much overt support of the war but a quiet undercurrent of happiness here in NY that Saddam will soon be gone, because even though he didn't have anything to do with 9/11 it'll be one less source of money for those Islamofacist bastards in the world. Does anybody who supports the war down there, or at least doesn't mind it that much, cite Bali? From what I heard it was almost as bad a blow as 9/11 was to us.

Yeah, Bali has become our September 11, thanks entirely to the media and the politicians. It was a terrible, terrible tragedy but it was not comparable to September 11, for one simple reason: September 11 was directly targetting America but the Bali bombing was targetting foreigners. Our pollies and media have really hyped the fact 90+ Australians were killed in the blasts but despite what they would have us believe, the terrorists were not solely targetting Aussies. There were Americans at those clubs and I believe they were the primary targets. Australians were "nothing more" than "collateral damage".

Wow, in a way that's worse than being the targets. But I thought the Al-Qaeda operatives were locals? You'd think they'd know the composition of folks at those particular clubs.

Damn, I missed the rutabaga discussion.

Nutty, as a New Englander you'll appreciate my befuddlement at finding NO TURNIPS in California. Only these tiny things they called rutabagas. You can't get a fullsized turnip for love or money here.

My grandpa used to mix his turnips and mashed potatoes. I felt it was an insult to both.

My grandpa used to mix his turnips and mashed potatoes. I felt it was an insult to both.

My mom did that. Still didn't mask the fact that there were frelling turnips in the potatoes.

DX, she wouldn't do it before she served them, would she? At least Grandpa kept the desecration to his own plate.

And I'm addicted to Quorn.

Next to "tofurkey" and "mock duck," "Quorn" sounds like a meat substitute for corn. For carnivores.

Is this the right time to extol the virtues of deep fried Mars Bar?

I hear that in Australia, Mars Bars are known as "Cloud 9." That's my unamerican factoid for the day.

I hear that in Australia, Mars Bars are known as "Cloud 9." That's my unamerican factoid for the day.

UK/Canadian Mars Bars are like USian Milky Way bars, only better.

US Mars Bars are like (Canadian) Mars with Almonds, but they seem to have been rebranded Snickers With Almonds.

I want to try a deep-fried Twinkie. I know they have them in Brooklyn somewhere. I must quest.

Heh. Ted Koppel, looking silly in an admittedly needed helmet, is broadcasting from the tarmac at Saddam International. I'm beginning to really think that its namesake is chatting with Stalin in Hell right now. I'm betting that the reporters or troops have a pool on when they'll find the solid proof.