Miscellaneous

> German towns may erect 'No Prostitutes Here' signs over fears an army of call girls are coming for the 2006 World Cup. Link [http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_1653451.html]. Where sin isn't discouraged, it's encouraged. Where it isn't

Blogging is uncertain today. The Charter Communications connection appears to be down in parts of the town, so I won't have uninterrupted access to the Internet. Charter is about as reliable as a drunk teenager. Later Addendum: It looks like posting levels will be fairly normal today.

Saw this blurb in the LA Times this morning: > In statement, governor suggests his denial of clemency was based on Crips founder's refusal to admit guilt in slaying of four people. Well, that ain't fair. Neither has O.J.

Sounds good to me. I'll now openly use the word "dyke" > A lesbian motorcycle group in San Francisco declared victory Thursday in their fight for a federal trademark for the name "Dykes on Bikes." > The U.S. Patent and Trademark office twice

> Science is now discovering what . . . many consumers have known all along: Shopping makes you feel good. A growing body of brain research shows how shopping activates key areas of the brain, boosting our mood and making us feel better -- at least for a little while. Peering into a

Artistic/decorative switch plates [http://www.switchhits.com/]. Maybe some day there'll be holiday switch plates, and people will swap them out with the season.

I'm guessing this charity has pretty high administrative overhead: > A charity executive used $210,000 meant to cure heart disease to get his own pulse pounding – repeatedly flying a dominatrix halfway across the country to spank him, law-enforcement sources said yesterday. > Abraham Alexander racked up charges

Maybe I'm just too Pelagian-ish, but it's hard to believe people like this actually exist: > The yellow brick road ended in guilty pleas yesterday in Brooklyn Supreme Court for a husband and wife who mercilessly harassed and abused their midget neighbors by hurling racial epithets

I've largely been out of the loop the past 48 hours, so forgive me if this is old news: > A former Canadian Minister of Defence and Deputy Prime Minister under Pierre Trudeau has joined forces with three Non-governmental organizations to ask the Parliament of Canada to hold

This is more chilling than the November air: > A Chicago pediatrician was sentenced to 5 years in prison Tuesday for buying at least 600 images and videos of child pornography, many from a Web site based in Russia, that included images of children as young as 4. Link [http: