George Rekes latest anti-gay leader caught in gay tryst Yet another religious leader who fought gay rights apparently doesn’t practice what he preaches. George Alan Rekers, known in conservative circles as a staunch anti-gay activist who champions “curing” homosexuals, solicited a 20-year-old male hooker online from a website called rentboy.com, according to a published report. The Baptist minister then reportedly took his escort for a 10-day romp through Europe last month, according to a published report. The allegation drew parallels to former Florida Rep. Mark Foley, evangelical pastor Ted Haggard and other leaders who opposed rights but were either pursuing … Continue reading Anti Gay Christian Extremist caught with 20 year old rentboy

By Jeremy Scahill The writer is an investigative journalist and author of Blackwater: The Rise of the World’s Most Powerful Mercenary Army Erik Prince, the reclusive owner of the Blackwater empire, rarely gives public speeches and when he does he attempts to ban journalists from attending and forbids recording or videotaping of his remarks. On May 5, that is exactly what Prince tried to do when he spoke at DeVos Fieldhouse as the keynote speaker for the “Tulip Time Festival” in his hometown of Holland, Michigan. He told the event’s organisers no news reporting could be done on his speech and … Continue reading What Blackwater’s Erik Prince does not want us to hear

By Fahd Husain The writer is Director News for Express News and 24/7 (fahd.husain@tribune.com.pk) If you are, or ever were, a Pakistani and are in the United States right now; good luck to you. The firestorm is coming right at you. You may thank Faisal Shahzad and his choice of Nissan Pathfinder as the smoking gun. Believe me I know. I was in New York on September 11, 2001. I lived through the nightmare and its aftermath and saw America’s transformation all around me as the nation reeled from the towering body blow. I remember watching the TV screen in the … Continue reading Dealing with our demons

By Salman Masood The writer is an Islamabad-based journalist whose reports frequently appear in The New York Times. (salman.masood@tribune.com.pk) Is Faisal Shahzad an aberration or representative of a pervasive trend amongst young Muslims, especially Pakistanis, to resort to violence for whatever political or religious grievances they nurture against the west? On the face of it, Faisal Shahzad does not fit the classic profile of a terrorist. Being the son of a retired air vicemarshal of the Pakistan Air Force, he must have enjoyed all the perks and privileges children of armed forces officials are used to. He wasn’t book smart … Continue reading When the minority holds all of us hostage

Microfliers could search for missing people, detect bombs, and perhaps even deliver drugs inside the human body. While Predator drones prove their mettle in Afghanistan and Pakistan, a new generation of far smaller flying robots is taking shape in various labs. These micro­­fliers may soon take on a variety of military missions and innovative humanitarian ones as well. At the University of Waterloo in Ontario, microroboticist Behrad Khamesee has developed a flying robot about the size of a pencil eraser. A pair of laser-operated, fingerlike grippers allow the bot to grasp and release small objects. The device operates wirelessly, powered … Continue reading The Latest Trend in Aircraft: Really, Really Tiny

Admittedly, the project is a little dangerous—not because of a few little fusion reactions but because of the the very flammable gas and voltages high enough to instantly kill you. Most college freshmen fill their dorm rooms with clothes, books, and electronics. Thiago Olson also brought his fusion reactor. But Vanderbilt University drew the line: No do-it-yourself reactors in the dorm! Instead, his device was housed in a nearby laboratory. Olson’s project was motivated by the challenge of doing fusion—and by the same promise that has inspired thousands of physicists over the past half century. Nuclear fusion is the energy … Continue reading Build a $1000 Fusion Reactor in Your Basement!

// I have no problems with people being religious per se. I think that people have the right to believe in whatever they want. If they happen to believe in something that is demonstrably wrong, well then, they should be prepared to suffer the slings and arrows of reality. The problem tends to come in when some religious people try to impose their religion on others. If you go through my posts on religion, you’ll find that this is where I tend to step in. Want to teach creationism in the classroom? Uh uh. Want to oppress women? Sorry, fella. … Continue reading The United States is not a Christian nation and it needs to neuter its Christian Mullahs

Turkey’s first nudist hotel plan hits hitch By Jonathan Head BBC News, Istanbul Guests can go au naturel around the pool What was billed as the Muslim world’s first nudist hotel has been forced to close, just six days after it opened. It was shut after a local authority inspection which found that one of the balconies did not conform to the architect’s drawings. The first 12 sparsely-clad guests at the 64-room resort in Datca on the Turkish Riviera have had to be moved to more conventional accommodation. The hotel owner said he hoped to modify the balcony and re-open … Continue reading Muslim worlds first nudist hotel

Will you two stop that racket?! Amazing pictures of parenting, lion-style He may be the regal king of the jungle – but to these playful cubs this magnificent creature is just plain old dad. And it seems M’wasi the lion takes a no-nonsense approach to parenting. Sorry dad! The mischievous cubs are brought to heel by M’wasi Because as the playful cubs’ wrestling starts to get on his nerves, he tells them to pipe down and the pair are immediately cowed. The two three-month-old lions, from a litter of three, are yet to be named as the Bronx Zoo in … Continue reading Amazing pictures of parenting, lion-style

It’s no death trap! Former gravedigger makes 100mph sportscar… from a  COFFIN A former gravedigger has built a 100mph single-seater car using a 7ft-long steel coffin for the body. Phil Bissett, 62, bought the unusual handmade coffin for £98 on internet auction site eBay and has dubbed his new creation ‘Holy Smoke’. The tattoo artist from Harold Hill, near Romford in Essex, normally customises hearses in his spare time. Digging in: Phil Bissett has dubbed his crazy new creation ‘Holy Smoke’ Mr Bissett said the head-turning car has almost sent a couple of people to an early grave. ‘The first … Continue reading 100mph sportscar… from a COFFIN