This one involves Mark Steyn. Oh yes it does. You know what to do.

Pearsall Helms sticks it to the EUrabia brigade. And he sticks it good. In particular, he sticks it good to Canada’s biggest asshole, Mark Steyn.

A random example (among many) of Mr Helm’s demolition of Mr Steyn involves this quote from the latter: "Already, more people each week attend Friday prayers at British mosques than Sunday service at Christian churches".

The actual study, which claimed that more people attend mosques than Anglican churches in the UK, was itself based on some tenuous assumptions. But Mr Steyn must be either a liar or a retard to extrapolate that survey to *all* Christian churches. This not terribly reliable source implies somewhere around 3.6 million total churchgoers for this year, compared to less than a million mosquegoers.

(via Nick)

Via Tomodachi, the Nation States country simulator is rather fun.

If you like, you can visit the Republic of Shot by both sides – although take care not to damage any endangered hypnotoads.

Oh, while I’m here – Squander 2 (yes, he’s libertoonianish, but relatively sensible) is having hosting disasters and is currently stuck back at Blogspot.

Liberating Afghanistan from the Taliban’s anti-drug zealots has produced a record heroin crop. "Britain is already suffering from record amounts of heroin entering the country, with prices of the narcotic at an all-time low", says the Independent.

On the plus side, reports the Onion, "in spite of his debilitating addiction, junkie David Spellman is safer, warmer, healthier, and happier than nearly every poppy farmer in Afghanistan."

Richard Herring is superb: "Don’t have a go at me… You’re the one who bakes the children in pies! Morally you don’t have a leg to stand on. I agree that the pies are delicious. I’m not saying I can’t understand your motivation, but I only eat the pies because they are there. They are a by-product of the child-killing industry. You’re the one who kills children, not me."

If you want to read mindlessly offensive, badly-written drivel, but are bored of US-centric ‘nuke EUrabia’ screeds, I strongly recommend A Tangled Web. It’s horrible. I mean, really horrible: the sentiments, the writing, and the design. You’ll want to scrub your eyes with a wire brush after reading it. Highly recommended.

Alternatively, should you wish to read some pseudophilosophical religious bilge, the Anchoress is an excellent purveyor thereof: "Beware the urge to utilarianism. Everything does not have to be of "use." Nor does everyONE. It is enough to BE, if BEING is what you have been called to. The Pope is not a CEO. He doesn’t have to DO anything. He just has to BE. Terri Schiavo does not have to get up and dance a jig to be valuable. She is valuable in her BEING, as the object of her family’s love. And God’s".

The latter comes via The Asserter (are they a couple?). I’m not going to pass judgement on his site, save to note that he links approvingly to the piece above, John Lott and Oliver Kamm, and doesn’t appear to understand the difference between criticising someone’s sloppy English and accusing them of supporting mass murder…

Please welcome our new swimming pool manager, Jaws.

(via Little Red Blogger. Couldn’t quite decide which metaphor to use above; my alternative was ‘Please welcome our new school caretaker, Ian Huntley’.)

I had planned to post on a stat I found in this week’s Economist – unfortunately the Moonie Times beat me to it: "It is yet to dawn on U.S. gatekeepers that 6.7 percent of Chinese defense imports come from the United States and only 2.7 percent from Europe".

At this point, any sanctimonious American prick who’s even *considering* saying one word about the EU plans to lift the arms embargo should, broadly, go and fuck themselves. Unless they’re a pacifist. Pacifists are welcome, and correct, to point out that we should all sell fewer arms to everybody.

(Moonie Times link via The Pseudo Magazine)

From the department of "good, but it’s about fucking time", the US Supreme Court has abolished the death penalty for juveniles.

The final step towards civilisation – doing the same for adults – may take rather longer.

"The likely outcome [of a UK ‘no’ vote to the constitution] would be… something akin to Norway’s agreement with the Union. Britain would buy (for a hefty sum) access to the single market but would lose all influence in shaping its rules. Those who think that sounds like a good idea would do well to talk to Norway’s business leaders." – Phillip Stephens in the FT (subscription required, probably).

British Eurosceptics often make a similar argument, except with the spin that following the Norwegian model would be a Good Thing. I’m sceptical of such claims – but this scepticism isn’t based on much real evidence.

So, if any readers either are Norwegian business leaders or have talked to Norwegian business leaders about the consequences of being outside the EU, I’d be very interested to hear your thoughts…