Sometimes I have trouble with my intrepid searching for all things random in weird for my weekly column here at D&D. This was not one of those times.

Our story this week begins (and ends) at the Liverpool Airport. The players? Gitta Jarant, 66, and Anke Anusic, 41, and Willi Jarant (91).

The three arrived to catch their flight home to Germany. Gitta and Anke pushing Willi in a wheelchair up to the check in counter. Willi was dressed for a vacation, relaxing in his wheelchair, sporting his dark sunglasses to protect him from the tropical Liverpool/Manchester sun. Yet, the agents there were concerned about Willi's ability to fly -- mostly due to his lack of breathing (mostly because he was dead, and had been for approximately 24 hours).

(more after the jump)

Poor Admiral Robert Williard had to go before the House Armed Services Committee this past week. He went as the head of US Pacific Command -- but he left as a defender of common sense and geology.

The cause of his title shift? Rep. Hank Johnson (D-GA), who was worried that the US Navy's decision to station an additional 8,000 personnel and their families on the island of Guam would, well, perhaps you need to see it for yourself:



This is a rare occurrence for me, but for commentary, I must defer to the National Review:

"Presumably, when you're the head guy of a major fleet for a big-time navy, you've got plenty of other ways of filling your time other than reassuring congressmen on whether miscellaneous land masses are likely to tip over and sink."

Only in America my friends!

In all fairness, Rep. Johnson's office released the following statement,

"The subtle humor of this obviously metaphorical reference to a ship capsizing illustrated my concern about the impact of the planned military buildup on this small tropical island."

I'm not buying it, and I doubt it will be enough to free him from the mockery of that series of tubes we call the internets.

Sometimes we here in the blogosphere seek to put words to issues that best describe our own perspectives on what is happening out there in the big bad world ... and then sometimes there is just a video that needs no such pithy analysis. I present to you, from Mobile Alabama, this glorious news story, in its unedited form. I have no more words to describe the hilarity:

So, without further ado, This Week in Weird: There is a Leprechaun in the Deep South!

Welcome to Friday! Your humble correspondent of all things odd and mockable is pleased as punch to offer you TWIW! Also, please feel free to continue emailing us your odd story finds from around the world...

This Week in Weird: Pillow Love!

The Otaku can be an odd beast. It is not a new phenomenon -- being obsessed with Anime and Manga, but lately it has reached new heights. Sure, people have chuckled at the pudgy, bespeckled, middle aged, ComicCon attending, mother's basement living, Otakus -- they laugh at their loneliness, sure that the poor Otaku is doomed to a life alone.

But some Otakus have struck back! Loneliness be damned...

Well here we are again -- Friday. Your humble correspondent asks your forgiveness for his few posts these past few days, but what better way to kick off a return to the blogosphere with a TWIW!

Now, I know that we love Facebook here in the West, but Israel is definitely addicted. While normally something about Isreali love for social networking would be a puff piece below the fold in a sad newspaper -- it has become an international security issue. Take a look!

From the facebook post of an IDF soldier:

On Wednesday, we’ll be cleaning up in Katnaa [an Arab village near Ramallah], and on Thursday, please G-d, we’re going home.

The problem? This was posted on a Monday. Whoopsiedoodle! The poor Farmville addict continued to list his unit name, and the ...

Well, it's Friday -- and that means we here at D&D take a short break from the serious hard analysis for a celebration of the weird and rediculous. To those loyal TWIW readers who were miffed at the lack of this column last week -- fear not ... we are now ready to reveal the project that has been taking all our free time.

For the past 2 weeks, Demagogues and Dictators has scoured the globe to assemble our team of Super-Friends from the Animal Kingdom. While the identities of our super-friends must remain, understandably, our highest guarded secret; below we have provided a few suggestions for your corps of animal adventure-warriors...

This Week in Weird takes us to the sunny shores of the Persian Gulf -- where we will find two very unfortunate Ambassadors.

To begin, please take a look at the picture below. In it, we see Pakistani President Zardari meeting with members of his ambassadorial corps. Pay specific attention to the man immediately right of the President. His name is Mr. Miangul Akbar Zeb, and is a member of the Pakistani Embassy Mission to Canada. Officially, his title is "His Excellency" Akbar Zeb.

Normal right?



WRONG! While in his native Urdu, Akbar Zeb's name (which is Akbar Zeb) translates to "someone with good countenance", in Arabic, "akbar zeb" means "the biggest cock" (Akbar = The Greatest, Zeb = slang for the male genitalia).

Earlier this week, HuffPo reported that the unfortunate Excellency had been barred from becoming Pakistan's Ambassador to Saudi Arabia -- simply because of his NSFW name.

Now, in a delightful twist ...

This Week in Weird: Funding your own Conventional Force; or, How I learned to stop worrying and love the Internet.

Have you ever woken up and said to yourself, "how am I ever going to equip my conventional forces?" Feel better, we here at D&D have found your answer. Even if you are not a state, rebel group, or even paramilitary organization, you can still build up your air force, mechanized units, and force-projecting capabilities.

First up: AIR POWER
Surf over to Aero Kros, and start shopping! Perhaps you can elbow your way into the deal that Kit found over email:

Subject: Offer MIG

Dear Christopher

We have the following aircrafts and engine for sale:

1. MIG-21 UM jet plane ( without engine), year of manufacturing 1980, priced at EUR 20000

2. engine R11F2SK-300 , priced at EUR 10000

The planes were retired in the years 2003-2004 and their total flying time amounts to about 1000- 1655 hours respectively. Their airworthiness is contingent upon overhauling

Supersonic air power? Check!
Or, if you want to go old school on your enemies, you can buy a MAN-LIFTING WAR KITE.

Next up: ARMOR...