I can't believe it's not a democracy!

Looks like my neighbor has competition:

Noisy British lover loses sex appeal. AFP reports: A British woman lost her appeal Tuesday against a ban on her noisy sex sessions, after a court heard how her marathon romps that kept neighbours awake sounded like someone being murdered.

Caroline and Steve Cartwright's "howling" lovemaking sounded "unnatural", "hysterical" and "like they are both in considerable pain", Newcastle Crown Court in northeast England heard.

* * *

Neighbours at their home in Washington, south of Newcastle, complained about the noise -- as did passers-by and the postman.

The couple were banned from "shouting, screaming or vocalisation at such a level as to be a statutory nuisance", but Caroline Cartwright, 48, appealed under human rights laws against her conviction for breaching the ban.

Good for the court. There is no reason for this. I say this as someone who had to hear a neighbor's girlfriend who was a screamer extraordinaire. (Fortunately, I haven't heard her for a while, so I guess he got a new girlfriend...or a ball-gag.) And just in case you feel sorry for poor Mrs. Cartwright, who claimed she tried to bring down the noise level, consider this: Dixon said when the council confronted the couple, "Mr Cartwright held his head in his hands but Mrs Cartwright seemed to find it quite amusing." I bet she did.

Help for the rightwing:

Beer for brain injury? Maybe. Reuters reports: People who suffer a traumatic brain injury from a car crash or other mishap are more apt to survive if they had been drinking at the time of the injury, according to a study published Monday.

The finding "raises the intriguing possibility" that giving alcohol to brain injured patients may improve outcome, the study team suggests in the Archives of Surgery.

I'm in for a six-pack.

And a fun time was had by, well, me.

I'm back from bucolic southern New Jersey.  Didn't get on the internet much.  No tv news.  No newspapers.  Just family time, watching the end of season 1 of "Dexter," some bad (but good) crap on BBC America (I can't believe people will allow themselves to be photographed in their undies for an opportunity to get diet "counseling" on "You Are What You Eat").  You get the idea.  Did a little cooking.  Ok, very little.  But my brother and I baked a couple of blueberry pies under the tutelage of my mother, who is a truly fabulous baker (who no longer bakes, but that's another story).  Let's just say that the two pies did not make it past 24 hours of existence.  Just wonderful.  

So I'm back.  Hoping for some good news.  You know, Obama finally mans up and fires Geithner and Summers, hiring Joseph Stiglitz and Dean Baker to replace them (with Paul Krugman advising).  Perhaps he finally realizes Afghanistan is his Vietnam...if he let's it become that (which he decides not to), and he pulls out of there and Iraq ASAP.  Maybe he will tell Holder to uphold the Constitution and start investigations into torture and lW/Cheney's ying us into committing war crimes, as he appoints Elizabeth Warren head a commission looking into Goldman Sachs', et al., role in the financial meltdown, after telling big pharm and the insurance companies to go fuck themselves and forces the congressional democrats to start over with one option: single payer.  And et cetera.  Really, is that too much to ask for?  

This may be us in 2010:

Mexicans Eager to Cast Votes for No One. Newser.com citing a Time story reports: Plenty of politicians are battling for votes ahead of Mexico’s July 5 congressional election, but the campaign getting the most buzz isn’t for a candidate—it’s for no candidate. The vote en blanco movement is urging disillusioned Mexicans to turn in their ballots with a giant “X” over them to protest what they see as a lousy slate of candidates, Time reports.

You know, we have a lot to learn from others. The French know how to throw a real strike. The Iranians know how to effectively and vigorously protest a stolen election. And Mexico is showing us the way of the near future. Because the democrats are in control and nothing truly progressive has been enacted nor is likely to be passed. Until we have a real progressive third party, this may be my option.

Thanks to John for the link.

I guess Fred Phelps is headed to Nuremberg:

A Humboldt penguin dives in his pool at the zoo in Nuremberg, southern Germany. Two homosexual penguins have successfully hatched an egg that was rejected by its parents and are now proudly rearing the chick, said the German zoo housing the pair. 

(DDP/AFP/Timm Schamberger)

Looks like the Cheneys will be in New York City shortly:

Torture devices from 16th century to be auctioned in New York. Normally Dick and Lynne would get woodies over the opportunity to add to their collection, but they are probably a bit bummed about the recipient of the proceeds: New York's Guernsey's auction house plans to auction the privately owned collection, with proceeds to go to Amnesty International and other organizations committed to preventing torture in today's world, said Guernsey's president, Arlan Ettinger. "That is clearly the seller's intent," he said. Fucking hippie.

Heard on the internet radio:

Apparently Justice Souter is going to retire at the end of this term (late spring).  Obama gets his first chance to either send someone unabashedly liberal or try, still, to appease the assholes to the right.  Not.  Holding.  My.  Breath.  Sadly. 

Update: Here's a story by MSNBC: NBC: Souter to retire from Supreme Court. Given the ages of Ginsburg (who has had serious health problems) and Stevens--89 years old!--it won't be Obama's first nomination.

Saw this and thought of you, Fran:

NYC church tweeting the Passion of Christ. Those wacky Episcopalians. Still, you may want to mention this to the monsignor.

Just in time for Blog Against Theocracy:

More Americans say they have no religion. Apparently 15% of Americans say they have no religion. Ok, that's not the same as saying that you are an atheist, but I recall rolling my eyes at "surveys" and "polls" that claimed that over 90% of Americans were religious and a shockingly high number considered themselves born again. Thought it was bullshit then, still think it is bullshit now.

And one more thing:

it's daylight saving time this weekend.  Don't forget to set your clocks forward one hour before you go to bed Saturday night/Sunday morning.  I have to catch a train back on Sunday, so I can't get the time change out of my head.