THESE NEW OLD TRADITIONS

Although, this is kind of amazing...

A moment of silence for the passing of the Hummer

“GM said Wednesday that its bid to sell Hummer to Sichuan Tengzhong Heavy Industrial Machines Co. fell through. The Chinese manufacturer said it failed to get clearance from regulators in Beijing within the proposed timeframe for the sale.”

Great! Now how am I supposed to go to the super market???

Plus: sharks and squid battle it out, pagans and the Air Force still trying to find their way, Google is frightening, and guns on the cheap… after the jump.

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Silly people still fuming over the Pagan Air Force thing from a few weeks back

“If I were in the Air Force and was being commanded by an officer who practices hedonism as a religion (another part of the definition of “pagan”), and who dances around a circle of stones in the woods carrying a lighted candle, I would be more than a little worried about following him into battle.”

The first comment in response by Sean Burke is a gem: “As opposed to a belief that a great man in the sky produced a human son through virgin birth who can be consumed every seven days in the form of wafers and wine? The fact I voted for you in 2008 now embarrasses me.”

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Apparently the EU and I are the only ones that find Google’s obsession with photographing the entire universe disturbing.

“In a letter sent to the search giant this week, the European Union’s privacy watchdog told Google that it should warn towns and cities before it snaps photos for its online Street View maps. The EU also told the company that it should cut the time it keeps the original photos online from a year to six months.”

People. It’s creepy no matter which way you dice it.

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Can’t afford a gun? I know a day when you can buy guns tax free!!!!!

“The Second Amendment Appreciation Act would mandate that the first weekend of every October become a sales tax holiday for gun purchases. The lead sponsor, Delegate Scott Varner, D-Marshall, said the holiday could actually bring in increased tax revenues, given that bargain-hunting shoppers likely will buy other things that are not taxed.”

Because, apparently making guns cheaper should be a major priority.

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Guns made cheaper, but mistletoe still hanging outside your door? You’re a criminal.

“An ordinance in the Chicago suburb limits outdoor seasonal displays to 60 days before and after holidays, so starting Thursday, people with lingering Christmas spirit will get 14-day notices to remove them. If they don’t, they could be fined $50.”

This is the absurd stuff people love to really really really care about. Someone shoot me with their tax-free gun…

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Vitamin D deficiency linked to flu

“Vitamin D deficiency has already been linked to a wide spectrum of diseases including heart disease, cancer, diabetes, depression, autoimmune disease and many others. The study published in the latest edition of Nature Immunology discovers that activation of T-cells to fight infections needs definite help from vitamin D.”

Proving once again that participating regularly in the natural world is actually better for you.

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Spyware computer chips in your (if you’re in the UK) garbage bins

Under such schemes—which are likely to be hugely unpopular—families who put out more waste will pay higher taxes to their local council.

You know, obviously I’m against (un)disclosed chips in anything, but frankly, stop creating so much waste!!!

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New studies suggest that great white sharks may migrate so they can dine on giant squids

“Picture them not as a dorsal fin off the beach but rather as an unseen leviathan swimming through black depths where the oxygen thins and fish glow in the dark, and maybe pouncing on a 30-foot squid.”

As if great white sharks and giant squids weren’t the most insanely frightening and freakish beasts on the planet already…