German Warship on the Thames

All Star Wars fans know what inspired George Lucas' imagery in designing the bad guys. This week, that seeped into the real world in a strange little episode in London. The German navy corvette Braunschweig was in Britain, not doing its normal stealth operations, but on a training operation. While transiting upriver on the Thames, the crew stood on deck as the ship passed through London, with the most appropriate (or inappropriate) music playing on its loudspeakers.

A spokesman from the German navy told the BBC that there was no message implied in the music, and that the boat's commander has free rein to select the music. This shows that the reputation of Germans having no sense of humor isn't true- they just don't laugh at jokes. But they were able to poke fun at themselves being towed backward upriver. (via Ars Technica)