Weekends are one of humanity’s most brilliant inventions. It’s been a long week and I’m ready for some R & R. I think I’m going to see Troy tomorrow with a friend and I also intend on replenishing my comic stash. I finally feel like I’ve fully recovered from my cold and I need to catch up on some quality fun time. My writing process has become more arduous than usual and getting out of this apartment for points other than work will do me some good.
I’ve come to the conclusion that being a freelance writer is the best job ever. Xeni Jardin got to go hang out with Hef at his mansion to celebrate the release of, all things, a computer game. You can see some of the pictures she took at the party here. Party on, Xeni.

Mysterious lights spotted over Mexico. Hmm, looks like some devotees of the movie Signs are having a little fun with the Mexican Air Force. Pictures or video of UFOs pop up seemingly every few months, but they never prove anything conclusive. It’s either taken at night or the image is blurry or there’s a tree in the way or–you get the idea. You never see any pictures of a spacecraft hovering over Times Square during the lunch hour, and until that happens I’ll remain a skeptic. Sure, it’s theoretically possible that aliens are surreptitiously cruising around the globe, teasing the occasional amateur photographer and molesting the occasional cow, but the universe must offer much more interesting sights than our little backwater planet.
Here’s a good activity for a rainy afternoon. All of this year’s Hugo nominees (except the novels) are on-line for your reading pleasure. I haven’t perused any of them yet, but I plan to this weekend.

The Minnesota Legislature is constitutionally obligated to adjourn in seven days and it has yet to address a $160 million dollar deficit and a bonding bill that contains funding for dozens of public works projects. Over the last few years, our legislators have demonstrated an increasing unwillingness to compromise on major issues. I think this can be attributed to a couple trends. First, the Republican Party has shifted to the right, pushing out most of the moderates who traditionally functioned as negotiators with the other side. Second, the Democratic party has been slow to recognize that it is no longer in the dominant position it once occupied in this state, resulting in some political miscalculations that have weakened the party further. I do hope that they are able to resolve things in the final hours. If not, it doesn’t bode well for the next session, when we will most likely have to confront a more substantial budget shortfall. It’s at times like this when I think that a viable third party might be useful in breaking up gridlock like this.
My hunt for a new nurse proved successful. I was able to recruit two people and they both seem cool. Which means I can relax over staffing issues, at least for now. Summer can be a bit stressful because people want to go on vacation and I get a little worried that I’ll be short-handed. But now with a staff of nine, I should be able to cover most situations.

Wow. Lynndie England is the “It Girl” of the Web. I’ve gotten over 100 hits today and most of those are Lynndie-related searches. Lynndie England, welcome to your fifteen minutes. It’s probably not what you had in mind, but hey, you’re on the TV! The only time someone from West Virginia usually gets on the TV is if they win a lottery or fall down a well or something, so consider yourself a trailblazer, Lynndie. You’re out there representing poor white trash like only you can.
Am I cruel? Perhaps a little.
Meanwhile, the news just keeps getting better: Via Atrios:
Rumsfeld did not describe the photos, but U.S. military officials told NBC News that the unreleased images showed U.S. soldiers severely beating an Iraqi prisoner nearly to death, having sex with a female Iraqi female prisoner and �acting inappropriately with a dead body.� The officials said there was also a videotape, apparently shot by U.S. personnel, showing Iraqi guards raping young boys.

You know the female soldier featured in some of the now-infamous Abu Ghraib pictures? An Australian paper has an interesting profile of her. The soldier’s name is Lynndie England and she grew up in a trailer home in an isolated West Virginian hamlet. Many of her townsfolk don’t seem to understand what all the fuss is about; can’t a country girl pull a few pranks on them towelheads? I’m trying really hard not to sound like a big-city elitist, but can’t the military exercise a little more care in how it selects soldiers for certain assignments? A young woman who probably couldn’t find Iraq on a map and who probably thinks Islam is akin to devil worship may not be the best choice for caring for Iraqi prisoners. Just a thought.
Electronic voting has been in the news lately. Several states have decertified electronic voting machines because of concerns about the security of those machines. This has upset many disability activists who see electronic voting as the means to finally guarantee that people with disabilities can finally vote in privacy. I’m of two minds on this issue. I think it would be great if technology could allow every disabled voter the dignity of a secret ballot. However, that technology needs to guarantee to everyone that votes will be accurate, secure, and verifiable. We simply ain’t there yet. Another year or two should do it and I know it’s hard to be patient, but the disability community needs to step back and see the bigger picture.