(no subject)

I was so organized and efficient yesterday that the huge monster of a project has been tamed and is now sitting at my feet and purring like a kitten. Everyone seemed quite pleased with the elegance of my solution and the thoroughness of my work, go me! And I was even able to add some salient points to our meeting last night, which we breezed through and finished half an hour early, woo!

With my cat sitting duties out of the way for today I can stop and get groceries tonight and still have time to work on my choreography plus get some dubbing done. Last night I checked On Demand on a whim and lo and behold, the final Venture Brothers episode I needed to complete my season one collection was right there! Glory hallelujah! I've dubbed a copy for Aelf's brother already, and dubbing another copy now and can do more if anyone's interested. One copy of "Hero" for Alyne and I'm all set on the dubbing front for a while.

Managed to get in a little exercise time last night, but not nearly enough, I'll work on that tonight. I really need to set aside at least a half an hour a day, that's not really so much time to set aside for taking care of my body. Although somedays it truly feels like it.

Also watching the first season eps of SG-1 the other day reminded me that I really need to pick up a copy of that season at some point. Despite all the silly hats (and oh gods they were silly) there are some damn fine episodes there. Well in the first few seasons really. Maybe after Xmas.

Edit: I feel like such a dork, someone on one of the Dr. Who lists just posted that "Torchwood" is actually an anagram for "Doctor Who", which, of course, never occurred to me. D'oh.

(no subject)

Pat Robertson's got his knickers in a twist 'cause Dover, PA decided to stick with the definition of "science" that's worked pretty well for most of the world since the Enlightenment:

On today’s 700 Club, Rev. Pat Robertson took the opportunity to strongly rebuke voters in Dover, PA who removed from office school board members who supported teaching faith-based “intelligent design” and instead elected Democrats who opposed bringing up the possibility of a Creator in the school system’s science curriculum.

Rev. Robertson warned the people of Dover that God might forsake the town because of the vote.

“I’d like to say to the good citizens of Dover. If there is a disaster in your area, don’t turn to God, you just rejected Him from your city. And don’t wonder why He hasn’t helped you when problems begin, if they begin. I’m not saying they will, but if they do, just remember, you just voted God out of your city. And if that’s the case, don’t ask for His help because he might not be there.”
Pharyngula

Got yerself a nice little town there, be a shame if something happened to it. And S.Z.'s response on World o' Crap must be shared:

God, who was reached at His headquarters, indicated the Robertson does not speak for Him. He said that He does not run some sort of Mafia protection racket which requires towns to sign up for Intelligent Design in order to keep Him from sending His goons to rub them out. The CEO of Universe, Inc. warned Robertson that "disaster might strike him" any day now, because Robertson is a big idiot, and is making God look bad.

And speaking of threats:

From the November 8 broadcast of Fox News' The Radio Factor with Bill O'Reilly:

O'REILLY: Hey, you know, if you want to ban military recruiting, fine, but I'm not going to give you another nickel of federal money. You know, if I'm the president of the United States, I walk right into Union Square, I set up my little presidential podium, and I say, "Listen, citizens of San Francisco, if you vote against military recruiting, you're not going to get another nickel in federal funds. Fine. You want to be your own country? Go right ahead."

And if Al Qaeda comes in here and blows you up, we're not going to do anything about it. We're going to say, look, every other place in America is off limits to you, except San Francisco. You want to blow up the Coit Tower? Go ahead.

I dunno', kinda sounds like he's, you know, inciting terrorists to attack America. Don't people get dragged off to one of our lovely new Eastern European gulags for shit like that?

And speaking of gulags, if this doesn't make you physically ill, nothing will:

The Senate voted Thursday to strip captured "enemy combatants" at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, of the principal legal tool given to them last year by the Supreme Court when it allowed them to challenge their detentions in United States courts.

The vote, 49 to 42, on an amendment to a military budget bill by Senator Lindsey Graham, Republican of South Carolina, comes at a time of intense debate over the government's treatment of prisoners in American custody worldwide, and just days after the Senate passed a measure by Senator John McCain banning abusive treatment of them.

If approved in its current form by both the Senate and the House, which has not yet considered the measure but where passage is considered likely, the law would nullify a June 2004 Supreme Court opinion that detainees at Guantánamo Bay had a right to challenge their detentions in court.
via Rising Hegemon

Gulags indeed.