lion

Sea lions are pinnipeds characterized by external ear flaps, long foreflippers, the ability to walk on all fours, and short, thick hair. Together with the fur seals, they comprise the family Otariidae, or eared seals. There are six extant and one extinct species (the Japanese sea lion) in five genera. Their range extends from the subarctic to tropical waters of the global ocean in both the Northern and Southern Hemispheres, with the notable exception of the northern Atlantic Ocean.

 They have an average life span of 20–30 years. A male California Sea Lion weighs on an average about 300 kg (660 lbs) and is about 8 feet long, while the female sea lion weighs 100 kg (220 lbs) and is 6 feet long. The largest sea lion is the Steller's sea lion which can weigh 1000 kg (2200 lbs) and grow to a length of 10 feet. Sea lions consume large quantities of food at a time and are known to eat about 5-8% of their body weight (about 15 to 35 pounds) at a single feeding.

Thursday, March 13, 2003

The United States has designated over 355 BILLION DOLLARS for defense in the FY 2003 budget, and the P.R. mouthpieces over at BushCo are feigning outrage and forecasting doom because of this:



...a makeshift contraption with wooden propellers, duct-taped wings and a dinged-up fuselage. ...the black-and-white drone appeared to have been fashioned from cannibalized aviation parts and standard craft-shop fare. The body was built with a torpedo-shaped fuel tank from a larger plane. The wings were constructed with cloth-covered balsa wood. Patches of aluminum foil were used for reinforcement.

Folks, let's just be brutally frank about this: it's a fucking overgrown remote control model airplane--a frankenstein amalgamation of balsa wood, junked plane parts, and stuff they got down at the local Hobby Haven, and it's held together with duct tape! The only thing that seems to be missing is the plastic sheeting. Goddammit, where's Tom Ridge when you need him?!

Oh, but wait! The wingspan is 3 meters wider than initially reported. Oops, that's gonna leave a skidmark 'cause my buddy Colin says that "should be of concern to everybody."

That's it. That tore it. It's over. Those 3 meters cinched the deal for me. I now feel that my personal safety and security here in the southwest corner of America is clearly and presently threatened by this dangerous weapon of mass destruction. Let the bombs rain down! Onward Christian Soldiers...