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Below are the 25 most recent journal entries.[ << Previous 25 ]



	2009.07.07 00.35 Why hello thar!



	2009.06.18 01.25 Where did you go, Gillen? Facebook, mostly. Sometimes you just gotta go where the party is. I'm not closing up shop here, but it's about time that I acknowledge that LJ has become my second home. To continue the feeding frenzy, just friend me, baby.



	2009.05.01 04.25 Happy May Day! Mood: awake



	2009.04.25 11.59 So odd, the things my brain will object to Re Smallville: A human-looking alien child grows up on Earth with fantastic powers attributed to effects of the color of sunlight that he's exposed to. These powers can be negated by exposure to radioactive rocks from his home planet, which are potentially lethal to him. Okay. It could happen. A newspaper reporter crashes through a skylight, falling 20' to a concrete floor in stiletto-heeled boots - and not only takes no damage from the fall but manages to kick someone in the head on the way down? Oh, come on now!



	2009.04.15 00.38 We didn't start the flamewar Mood: amused



	2009.03.27 08.11 The 'second-and-a-half' issue of Big Numbers glycon has posted scans of an unreleased draft copy of Issue #3 of Big Numbers by Alan Moore and Bill Sienkiewicz. Although planned as a 12-issue storyline, only issues #1 and #2 were ever released before the project was abandoned in 1990. Not all the artwork appears to be Sienkiewicz'. Al Columbia had been slated to take over for him, so the assumption is that the rest is his.



	2009.03.23 10.06 is John Connor haunted by an old Hendrix tune? It just occured to me that you could now combine the Battlestar Galactica and Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles storylines to form a single grand epic. ( spoilers within )



	2009.03.22 00.46 the obligatory BSG Finale post My first thought was that it was a great finale, but really it had just seduced me with wish fulfillment and hat tips to the original series. Half an hour later, I was sitting there thinking, "But... no, waitaminute..." ( spoilers within )



	2009.03.19 22.43 What Would the Overfiend Drink? Tentacle Grape soda "You either know what the joke here is, or you're a very lucky person living a happy, healthy life." - Alex Zalben, Nerve.com



	2009.03.15 21.04 Verses vs Verses: The Global Financial Crisis The following debate is to be had only with snippets of song lyrics. Cite artist and title in the subject line of your comment but provide no other context. No entire songs please. A verse or two at most. The G20 convened this past week in Sussex to discuss what is to be done about the global financial crisis. There was a loose consensus that government should do more to pump funds into the banking system and work to increase trade and staunch the loss of jobs. Should they be doing more? Less? Will a more-concerted global strategy along the same lines as what the US has already been doing be effective or not? Discuss. Mood: curious



	2009.03.09 19.14 My Beatified Laundrette? The Vatican, apparently having decided that it just hadn't offended enough people lately, celebrated International Women’s Day this Sunday with a headline article in its newspaper, l’Osservatore Romano, championing the washing machine as the greatest instrument of women's liberation in the 20th century. Titled The Washing Machine and the Liberation of Women - Put in the Detergent, Close the Lid and Relax, the article opines, "What in the 20th century did more to liberate Western women? The debate is heated. Some say the pill, some say abortion rights and some the right to work outside the home. Some, however, dare to go further: the washing machine." In support of her claim, the author dredges up a quote from Betty Friedan, who in 1963 described "the sublime mystique to being able to change the bed sheets twice a week instead of once". The article goes on to outline the development of the mechanical laundry washer from the 1700s to present, ending with the observation that it has been the development of household conveniences more than any other factor in the modern era which has allowed the development of, "the image of the super woman, smiling, made-up and radiant among the appliances of her house." Public reaction to l’Osservatore Romano's "tribute" has been chilly at best. While this is certainly not a new argument, the last time it was seriously advanced was well over 50 years ago.



	2009.03.08 21.33 Marvel vs DC / Wolverine & Rorschach



	2009.03.03 20.46 It's on America's tortured brow that Mickey Mouse has grown up a cow YES! The obscenity that was the US version of Life on Mars has been cancelled. Writers are scrambling to work the actual series ending into this season's finale. Mood: jubilant



	2009.03.02 18.25 The proof is in the puddingheads



	2009.03.02 08.05 Which falls faster? The Dow Jones or a stockbroker taking a swan dive from the 28th floor? Reality is at 2 to the power of 6,893.60 against... and falling. Please do not be alarmed by anything you may see or hear around you. You are bound to feel some initial ill effects. We will be restoring normality just as soon as we are sure what is normal anyway. Thank you.



	2009.03.02 07.29 All The News That Fits, We Print This just in from my Aunt Carol: Finding it hard to keep up with world events? Is the Google newsfeed just a little too scattered for your tastes? Check out The Newseum, an interactive world map of newspapers. Just mouse-over any world city to see the front page of today's paper. Click and it will open up in legible size and give you options to go to the website or export to PDF. Very, very cool. Also, Tehran's daily newspaper is apparently called the Jam-e-Jam.



	2009.03.01 04.44 humanime - Summer Glau I came across a challenge to create photomanip anime versions of celebrities and started mucking about... ( perfectly safe for work, but cut because Aurienne has issues with Summer )



	2009.02.28 08.43 And you know how hard it is to find a Sita on a Saturday! After months of teasing us with snippets, Nina Paley's Sita Sings the Blues is now available to watch online for free. [ click here to watch Sita Sings the Blues ]



	2009.02.27 23.32 A = STINKY DOODIE! Washington State is poised to change its official use of the term "mental retardation" to "intellectual disability". Objectivists throughout the state are reportedly chagrined to find that they may soon qualify for government assistance.



	2009.02.26 19.48 Senate Democrats vote to add more Democrats to Congress Washington DC may need budget earmark for new license plates



	2009.02.26 14.02 Literal videos - Billy Idol's "White Wedding" "C'mon, it's a nice touch for a goth wedding." ::SNORT::



	2009.02.26 01.33 Brother, can you spare a dime? I want to buy some Citibank. Another sign of just how fun this ride's going to be. NYSE CONSIDERS RELAXING THE $1 RULE Once I built a tower, up to the sun, Brick and rivet and lime. Once I built a tower, now it's done. Brother, can you spare a dime?



	2009.02.25 10.15 song for a wednesday morning [NSFW] Warsawpack - Attention to Deficit ( lyrics )



	2009.02.24 10.28 Don't Mess With Texas If they had only told me that you could get away with writing these sorts of decisions, I would have gone to law school in a heartbeat! - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Republic of Bolivia v. Philip Morris Co., Inc. Civil Action No. G-99-110 (March 1, 1999)(Kent, J.). 39 F. Supp. 2d 1008 (D. Tex. 1999) Plaintiff, the Republic of Bolivia, brings this action to recover from numerous tobacco companies various health care costs it allegedly incurred in treating illnesses its residents suffered as a result of tobacco use. This action was originally filed in the District Court of Brazoria County, Texas, 239th Judicial District, and removed to this Court on February 19, 1999, by certain Defendants alleging jurisdiction under 28 U.S.C. Section 1331 and 28 U.S.C. Section 1332. For the following reasons, the Court exercises its authority and discretion pursuant to 28 U.S.C. Section 1404(a) to sua sponte transfer this case to the United States District Court for the District of Columbia. This is one of at least six similar actions brought by foreign governments in various courts throughout the United States. The governments of Guatemala, Panama, Nicaragua, Thailand, Venezuela, and Bolivia have filed suit in the geographically diverse locales of Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico, Texas, Louisiana, and Florida, in both state and federal courts. Why none of these countries seems to have a court system their own governments have confidence in is a mystery to this Court. Moreover, given the tremendous number of United States jurisdictions encompassing fascinating and exotic places, the Court can hardly imagine why the Republic of Bolivia elected to file suit in the veritable hinterlands of Brazoria County, Texas. The Court seriously doubts whether Brazoria County has ever seen a live Bolivian … even on the Discovery Channel. Though only here by removal, this humble Court by the sea is certainly flattered by what must be the worldwide renown of rural Texas courts for dispensing justice with unparalleled fairness and alacrity, apparently in common discussion even on the mountain peaks of Bolivia! Still, the Court would be remiss in accepting an obligation for which it truly does not have the necessary resources. Only one judge presides in the Galveston Division–which currently has before it over seven hundred cases and annual civil filings exceeding such number–and that judge is presently burdened with a significant personal situation which diminishes its ability to always give the attention it would like to all of its daunting docket obligations, despite genuinely heroic efforts to do so. And, while Galveston is indeed an international seaport, the capacity of this Court to address the complex and sophisticated issues of international law and foreign relations presented by this case is dwarfed by that of its esteemed colleagues in the District of Columbia who deftly address such awesome tasks as a matter of course. Indeed, this Court, while doing its very best to address the more prosaic matters routinely before it, cannot think of a Bench better versed and more capable of handling precisely this type of case, which requires a high level of expertise in international matters. In fact, proceedings brought by the Republic of Guatemala are currently well underway in that Court in a related action, and there is a request now before the Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation to transfer to the United States District Court for the District of Columbia all six tobacco actions brought by foreign governments, ostensibly for consolidated treatment. Such a Bench, well-populated with genuinely renowned intellects, can certainly better bear and share the burden of multidistrict litigation than this single judge division, where the judge moves his lips when he reads…. Regardless of, and having nothing to do with, the outcome of Defendants’ request for transfer and consolidation, it is the Court’s opinion that the District of Columbia, located in this Nation’s capital, is a much more logical venue for the parties and witnesses in this action because, among other things, Plaintiff has an embassy in Washington, D.C., and thus a physical presence and governmental representatives there, whereas there isn’t even a Bolivian restaurant anywhere near here! Although the jurisdiction of this Court boasts no similar foreign offices, a somewhat dated globe is within its possession. While the Court does not therefrom profess to understand all of the political subtleties of the geographical transmogrifications ongoing in Eastern Europe, the Court is virtually certain that Bolivia is not within the four counties over which this Court presides, even though the words Bolivia and Brazoria are a lot alike and caused some real, initial confusion until the Court conferred with its law clerks. Thus, it is readily apparent, even from an outdated globe such as that possessed by this Court, that Bolivia, a hemisphere away, ain’t in south-central Texas, and that, at the very least, the District of Columbia is a more appropriate venue (though Bolivia isn’t located there either). Furthermore, as this Judicial District bears no significant relationship to any of the matters at issue, and the judge of this Court simply loves cigars, the Plaintiff can be expected to suffer neither harm nor prejudice by a transfer to Washington, D.C., a Bench better able to rise to the smoky challenges presented by this case, despite the alleged and historic presence there of countless "smoke-filled" rooms. Consequently, pursuant to 28 U.S.C. Section 1404(a), for the convenience of parties and witnesses, and in the interest of justice, this case is hereby transferred to the United States District Court for the District of Columbia. IT IS SO ORDERED. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - (props to the inimitable Mr. Duhan for the tip-off)



	2009.02.24 01.19 The fool hath said in his heart, "There is no Gillen."

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