It had to happen eventually... the world's first Hobbit motel has opened in New Zealand. They got the turf roof and round windows right, but somehow I don't think Bilbo would like the interior so... white.
What? The media is not liberal? My own little brother (he's 32, okay, and over 6 feet tall, but he's my little brother) heard Ann Coulter make this interesting proclamation on the Sean Hannity show. He posted about it on Democratic Underground, and his post was eventually picked up by Crooks and Liars! And finally someone connected to Crooks and Liars put up this link to the Coulter audio.
And I am his proud, leftie big sis! You go get Ann, little bro'!
So, how does our favorite administration top the quagmire in Iraq? Start another quagmire in Iran, of course. And make sure there's a handy terrorism trigger to justify it in the American collective mind.
My friend Laura sent this to me. I'm not sure why. Or where it's from. Or why.
ETA: Okay, I rewatched it and the very end disturbs me a bit...
aka Facial Feminizing Surgery. I was watching a Discovery Health Channel documentary last night on sex changes and found out for the first time that hormone therapy, breast augmentation, etc. can be supplemented by actual surgery to the transsexual person's skull (at least in male to female cases). Get rid of the brow ridge, take down the jaw, mess with the hairline... I'm amazed at how much of a difference this all makes. I just thought it was brilliant and realized that if I were to ever be a surgeon, like my Aunt Laurel, this is what I would enjoy doing. Here are a couple of sites about post-surgery ladies:
Site One and the awesome Site Two.
The House of Representatives, after deliberation and careful consideration, has decided that civil liberties just aren't that important anymore . Sigh.
36 years ago today, men landed on the Moon. That makes this Armstrong Day 36 on the Tranquility Calendar. Google has put together a fitting tribute based on Google Maps.
They went in peace, for all mankind. Let's hope we go back soon.
"Other than telling us how to live, think, marry, pray, vote, invest,
educate our children and, now, die, I think the Republicans have
done a fine job of getting government out of our personal lives."
-- Sunday Portland Oregonian
Must check this out in more detail when I have the time:
Howtoons are one-page cartoons showing 5-to-15 year-old kids "How To" build things. Each illustrated episode is a stand-alone fun adventure accessible to all, including the pre-literate. Our Howtoons are designed to encourage children to be active participants in discovering the world through Play-that-Matters -- fun, creative, and inventive -- and to rely a lot less on mass-consumable entertainment.
I still can't fathom how there isn't an uproar about Guantanamo. Most people were "shocked! shocked!" to hear of the abuses at Abu Ghraib, but news that Abu Ghraib torture methods were perfected at Gitmo -- and that they're still going on -- doesn't even ripple the water.
Note also George Orwell's response to torture in WWII, which I've included below. I couldn't say it better.
"May I be allowed to offer on or two reflections on the British Governments' decision to retaliate against German prisoners, which seems so far to have aroused extraudinarily little protest?
By chaining up German prisoners in response to similar action by the Germans, we descend, at any rate in the eyes of the ordinary observer, to the level of our enemies. It is unquestionable when one thinks of the history of the past ten years that there is a deep moral difference between democracy and Fascism, but if we go on the principle of an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth we simply cause that difference to be forgotten. Moreover, in the matter of ruthlessness we are unlikely to compete successfully with our enemies. As the Italian radio has just proclaimed, the Fascist principle is two eyes for an eye and a whole set of teeth for one tooth. At some point or another public opinion in England will flinch from the implications of this statement, and it is not very difficult to foresee what will happen.
As a result of our action the Germans will chain up more British prisoners, we shall have to follow suit by chaining up more Axis prisoners, and so it will continue till logically all the prisoners on either side will be in chains. In practice, of course, we shall become disgusted with the process first, and we shall announce that the chaining up will now cease, leaving, almost certainly, more British than Axis prisoners in fetters. We shall have thus acted both barbarously and weakly, damaging our own good name without succeeding in terrorising the enemy.
It seems to me that the civilised answer to the German action would be something like this: "You proclaim that you are putting thousands of British prisoners in chains because some half-dozen Germans or thereabouts were temporarily tied up during the Dieppe raid. This is disgusting hypocrisy, in the first place because of your own record during the past ten years, in the second place because troops who have taken prisoners have got to secure them somehow until they can get them to a place of safety, and to tie men's hands in such circumstances is totally different from chaining up a helpless prisoner who is already in an internment camp. At this moment, we cannot stop you maltreating our prisoners, though we shall probably remember it at the peace settlement, but don't fear that we shall retaliate in kind. You are Nazis, we are civilised men. This latest act of yours simply demonstrates the difference."
At this moment this may not seem a very satisfying reply, but I suggest that to anyone who looks back in three months' time, it will seem better than what we are doing at present and it is the duty of those who can keep their heads to protest before the inherently silly process of retaliation against the helpless is carried any further."
From CNN today:
"Astronomers have detected a planet outside our solar system with not one, but three suns, a finding that challenges astronomers' theories of planetary formation."
Indeed. I used to think that the whole multiple-suns (think Tatooine) sci-fi thing was artistic license. Truth really is stranger than fiction...
These guys at Green Disk have an innovative idea for recycling your techonotrash. You use a technotrash can, of course!
This cool page was stolen from the blog of one of my former students (who shall remain linkless).
p.s. Descartle rocks!
"...nothing you do, however many of us you kill, will stop that flight to our city where freedom is strong and where people can live in harmony with one another. Whatever you do, however many you kill, you will fail."
- Ken Livingstone, Mayor of London
Full text of his statement below.
"This was a cowardly attack, which has resulted in injury and loss of life. Our thoughts are with everyone who has been injured, or lost loved ones. I want to thank the emergency services for the way they have responded.
Following the al-Qaeda attacks on September 11 in America we conducted a series of exercises in London in order to be prepared for just such an attack. One of the exercises undertaken by the government, my office and the emergency and security services was based on the possibility of multiple explosions on the transport system during the Friday rush hour. The plan that came out of that exercise is being executed today, with remarkable efficiency and courage, and I praise those staff who are involved.
I’d like to thank Londoners for the calm way in which they have responded to this cowardly attack and echo the advice of the Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Ian Blair - do everything possible to assist the police and take the advice of the police about getting home today.
I have no doubt whatsoever that this is a terrorist attack. We did hope in the first few minutes after hearing about the events on the Underground that it might simply be a maintenance tragedy. That was not the case. I have been able to stay in touch through the very excellent communications that were established for the eventuality that I might be out of the city at the time of a terrorist attack and they have worked with remarkable effectiveness. I will be in continual contact until I am back in London.
I want to say one thing specifically to the world today. This was not a terrorist attack against the mighty and the powerful. It was not aimed at Presidents or Prime Ministers. It was aimed at ordinary, working-class Londoners, black and white, Muslim and Christian, Hindu and Jew, young and old. It was an indiscriminate attempt to slaughter, irrespective of any considerations for age, for class, for religion, or whatever.
That isn’t an ideology, it isn’t even a perverted faith - it is just an indiscriminate attempt at mass murder and we know what the objective is. They seek to divide Londoners. They seek to turn Londoners against each other. I said yesterday to the International Olympic Committee, that the city of London is the greatest in the world, because everybody lives side by side in harmony. Londoners will not be divided by this cowardly attack. They will stand together in solidarity alongside those who have been injured and those who have been bereaved and that is why I’m proud to be the mayor of that city.
Finally, I wish to speak directly to those who came to London today to take life.
I know that you personally do not fear giving up your own life in order to take others - that is why you are so dangerous. But I know you fear that you may fail in your long-term objective to destroy our free society and I can show you why you will fail.
In the days that follow look at our airports, look at our sea ports and look at our railway stations and, even after your cowardly attack, you will see that people from the rest of Britain, people from around the world will arrive in London to become Londoners and to fulfil their dreams and achieve their potential.
They choose to come to London, as so many have come before because they come to be free, they come to live the life they choose, they come to be able to be themselves. They flee you because you tell them how they should live. They don’t want that and nothing you do, however many of us you kill, will stop that flight to our city where freedom is strong and where people can live in harmony with one another. Whatever you do, however many you kill, you will fail.”
...or at least there are Charles Darwin has a posse stickers available. Share and enjoy.
At a recent open house, Palomar Observatory showed off their new Palomar Testbed Interferometer, a set of 'scopes that work together to produce resolution equivalent to a much larger telescope. Who says that land-based astronomy is dead?
...in a discussion about Neon Genesis Evangelion:
Unless you can actually enjoy having your mind twisted like a towel and thwacked against the ass of Jesus Christ, don't watch this anime.