Phew!!

Massive workies going on… I’m glad they’ve finally chilled to a dull throb… it feels good, though, meeting the challenges, and making things work, even when the client is insane (in da membrane, even). Got all the bits and pieces to run together smoothly, and I’m really digging the result. I’m glad I could touch base with my sweetheart today, even if it was only briefly. 🙂 I’m also glad that she’ll be getting rain soon… Nothing like a nice rain to soothe the soul… water hitting glass tonight.

It’ll be nice to unwind a bit tonight… get comfy.

Google has a vaguely disturbing graphic today, for the Nobel Prize.

Well, it’s good of the dove to bring some food to hungry baby prize… But what does it mean? “Feed philanthropist explosives-experts day?”

Jihad vs McWorld – interesting reading.
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It explores the conflict between tribalism and globalism, and comes to the dangerous conclusion that both opposing principles threaten freedom and democracy. The Middle Way shines through the bones of the battlefield once again…

Semen Popsicle + Swedish Lesbians = Child Support
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A court in Sweden has ruled that a man who donated sperm for artificial insemination, enabling a lesbian couple to have three children, must pay child support after the two women separated, a Swedish newspaper reported on Sunday.

18.5 Million To Insure Every Kid Can Access Porn
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Pride over a deal to provide laptop computers to every high school student in a suburban district has turned to embarrassment after dozens of youngsters were found to have downloaded hard-core pornography. Graphic sexual images have been deleted from many of the Apple iBooks that were issued to Henrico County’s 11,800 high school students in Virginia this year. When the $18.5 million, four-year deal to lease the computers was announced last spring, Superintendent Mark A. Edwards said it would provide a “vibrant, engaged-type of learning that will enhance the learning process.”

“We have given them adult equipment — tools. We have given them to kids who are using them as toys. We’re passing it down the line to kids who aren’t quite ready to use it and they’re going ape.”

Man Addicted to Stalking QVC Personalities
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A Phoenix man convicted three years ago of stalking hosts of the QVC home shopping channel was arrested after he showed up at the New Jersey home of another of the channel’s personalities. Phillip Young, 52, was charged with criminal attempted trespass and harassment and held without bail Friday. He was also ordered to undergo a psychological evaluation.

autochthonous aw-TOCK-thuh-nuhs, adjective:
1. Aboriginal; indigenous; native.
2. Formed or originating in the place where found.

Autochthonous derives from Greek autochthon, “of or from the earth or land itself,” from auto-, “self” + chthon, “earth.” One that is autochthonous is an autochthon (pronounced aw-TOCK-thuhn).

from – http://bohletinboard.com/index.htm

At long last, here’s some piccies of Mayah! 🙂 Cathi & Dave will be wonderful parents. 🙂 2 weeks down!

Went grocery shopping this afternoon, and picked up some goodies I haven’t had in a while, one of which was a little box o’ Tic Tacs. Probably my favorite dispenser treat short of Pez, really. Minty goodness… do they make orange ones any more? It’s been a dog’s age since I’ve had an orange Tic Tac. I’m so used to Altoids that these mints seem weirdly small and ineffective… I should be popping these things four at a time, not as solo candies. Anyhow, what brings me to post this is that I’m having a tiny nugget of minty freshness, and focusing on a particularly riveting chapter in the book I’m reading… The Tic Tac drops right out of my mouth and bounces on to my desk like I’ve just lost one of my baby teeth. I can’t figure out how this could happen. Things don’t just drop out of my mouth. All I know is as soon as I stopped thinking about the Tic Tac I lost control of it. I have heard people say that, due to its minuscule size, if you stop thinking about your Tic Tac it can get away from you… but I always thought it was an old wives’ tale.

Kodiak bears are a unique subspecies of the brown or grizzly bear (Ursus arctos middendorffi). They live exclusively on the islands in the Kodiak Archipelago and have been isolated from other bears for about 12,000 years.

Kodiak bear populations are healthy. They enjoy relatively pristine habitat and well managed fish populations. In most areas the number of bears is stable, but there are some places where bear density is increasing.

Kodiak bears are the largest bears in the world. A large male can stand over 10′ tall when on his hind legs, and 5′ when on all four legs. They weigh up to 1,500 pounds. Females are about 20% smaller, and 30% lighter than males.

Though Kodiak bears are often touted as the world’s largest land carnivore (meat eaters), they are really omnivores (using a variety of foods). They actually spend more time eating grass, plants and berries than meat. Fish are an important part of their diets, but few Kodiak bears expend the time or effort necessary to chase and kill mammals.

Although generally solitary in nature, Kodiak bears often occur in large groups in concentrated feeding areas. Because of this, they have developed a complex language and social structure to express their feelings and avoid fights.

Today hunters kill about 160 Kodiak bears each year under tightly controlled regulations. About 5,000 resident hunters apply each year for a chance at the 319 bear permits that are available for them. Hunters who are not residents of Alaska must hire a professional guide, paying $10,000 – $15,000 per hunt. Over 70% of the Kodiak bears killed by hunters are males.

I hope the bear gets a few good licks in on armor boy.

Kodiak bears are a unique subspecies of the brown or grizzly bear (Ursus arctos middendorffi). They live exclusively on the islands in the Kodiak Archipelago and have been isolated from other bears for about 12,000 years.

Kodiak bear populations are healthy. They enjoy relatively pristine habitat and well managed fish populations. In most areas the number of bears is stable, but there are some places where bear density is increasing.

Kodiak bears are the largest bears in the world. A large male can stand over 10′ tall when on his hind legs, and 5′ when on all four legs. They weigh up to 1,500 pounds. Females are about 20% smaller, and 30% lighter than males.

Though Kodiak bears are often touted as the world’s largest land carnivore (meat eaters), they are really omnivores (using a variety of foods). They actually spend more time eating grass, plants and berries than meat. Fish are an important part of their diets, but few Kodiak bears expend the time or effort necessary to chase and kill mammals.

Although generally solitary in nature, Kodiak bears often occur in large groups in concentrated feeding areas. Because of this, they have developed a complex language and social structure to express their feelings and avoid fights.

Today hunters kill about 160 Kodiak bears each year under tightly controlled regulations. About 5,000 resident hunters apply each year for a chance at the 319 bear permits that are available for them. Hunters who are not residents of Alaska must hire a professional guide, paying $10,000 – $15,000 per hunt. Over 70% of the Kodiak bears killed by hunters are males.

I hope the bear gets a few good licks in on armor boy.

Just posted this to the hut, figured I’d link from here, troo.

from mum.org – menstruation / bear attack connections or not

foofaraw (FOO-fuh-raw), noun:
1. Excessive or flashy ornamentation or decoration.
2. A fuss over a matter of little importance.

Foofaraw is perhaps from Spanish fanfarrón, “a braggart.”

I had a nice time last night, spent some quality chat with the one I care about, and only suffered as a result of some tech troubles through the course of the night. Ol’ ICQ seems to be more troublesome these days than normal…weird connections not making it, or resources being grabbed and not released. Fortunately there are workarounds for that sort of thing, reboots, alternate methods, whathaveyou. Aside from those troubles, it was sweetly pleasant, more comforting than it’s been in a while. I got some good confidence going, and that’s a great thing.

I’m functioning on a different level, and it’s about time it kicked in. 🙂 it’s fantastic what besos and reconnecting words can do. more spring in my step, and made walkies nice this morning.

At about the same time as New York was pointedly asking when they might expect a check, many of America’s largest corporations were receiving millions of dollars in refunded taxes from the last 15 years. This was sold as a shot in the arm for the economy. With more cash on hand corporate America would produce jobs and we’d head off that recession. Uh huh. You know corporate America, when they get extra cash they don’t turn it into executive bonuses, they make jobs.

The “incentive” plan would produce over 170,000 new jobs according to the White House. Um, do the math. Those 170,000 jobs would have a salary of 2.5 million apiece. Well, OK… I’m cheating and not including health benefits.

Just days before Enron filed for bankruptcy and laid off 4,000 people, it paid out $55 million in bonuses to about 500 employees. Those lucky 500 were “key people” that would be needed to get the company back on it’s feet when the situation changed. It was, uh, an *incentive* for them to stay. Yeah, that’s it.

This is the way it has always been. Insiders prosper, outsiders get hosed. The insiders could be born that way by carefully choosing their noble ancestors. The insiders could bludgeon they’re way to the Big Table by being more violent and sociopathic than their neighbors. Hmmmm. Must be noble blood, look how far he’s come.

Or maybe society has evolved beyond that stupid class-conscious nobility thing. I mean, we still need insiders and outsiders, but now anyone can buy their way to the Big Table. All you need is umpty gazzilion simoleons and you’re there. Anyone that is willing to work hard enough can get that. Much better than some system where just because your Dad was something you automatically become important too.

Now here’s the thing. Work with me here because it’s subtle…and do me a favor and don’t assume what I’m railing about is some feeble-minded CapitalismSocialism, poor people goodrich people bad thing. I’m back to the Root of All Evil and virtualization.

Look at all the misery that can result from numbers going up or down. At one level of perception real airplanes smashed into real buildings and killed real people. But there is a virtual reaction to that reality by a bunch of numbers plummeting because of projected perceptions. Then real people lose their real jobs to make the numbers go up again. We read about all these millions and billions of dollars whizzing around and changing hands, but are there trucks pulling up to a corporate HQ with bundles of cash? And even that would be another symbolic transaction.

At one time a noble would have to get some thugs together to kick people out of their homes, a lot of thugs if there were a lot of neighbors. At one time someone wishing to gut the treasury and move on would have to get wagons and horses and hire laborers. And even that would be a symbolic theft, because he wouldn’t be stealing a castle and food and servants and baubles and bedtime companions, he’d be taking gold… He’d have to hire a bunch of warriors to go with him so that he could keep it, and he’d have to pay some exceptionally well so that they’d keep an eye on the others.