I'm telling you, they'll wish they had trampolines set up all around the base of shrift's building the day she hands in her notice. (Or, at the very least, tarps to minimize the cleanup afterwards...)

I'm starting to fear that South Dakota politics is leaving the realm of bat-shit crazy and entering the territory of insane, rabid, stoned-outa-their-gourds bat-shit crazy....

The newest front in the war on the courts is being fought in South Dakota, where, in the shadow of Mt. Rushmore, a group called "J.A.I.L. 4 Judges" is promoting one of the most radical threats to justice this side of the Spanish Inquisition. It's extreme and it's incoherent, but it's got more than 40,000 petition signatures—and it will go to the state's voters as a constitutional amendment in November. A national network of supporters is waiting in the wings, threatening to export the revolution to other states if they do well this fall.

The group's proposed measure would wipe out a basic doctrine called judicial immunity that dates back to the 13th century, protecting judges from personal liability for doing their job ruling on the cases before them. A special grand jury—essentially a fourth branch of government—would be created to indict judges for a string of bizarre offenses that include "deliberate disregard of material facts," "judicial acts without jurisdiction," and "blocking of a lawful conclusion of a case," along with judicial failure to impanel a jury for infractions as minor as a dog-license violation. After three such "convictions," the judge would be fired and docked half of his or her retirement benefits for good measure.

Apparantly the 14th century onwards is too liberal for these people....

Anyway, it seems very unlikely to pass.

[link]

Nanocar!

Rice University scientists have constructed the world's smallest car - a single molecule "nanocar" that contains a chassis, axles and four buckyball wheels.

The "nanocar" is described in a research paper that is available online and due to appear in an upcoming issue of the journal Nano Letters.

The nanocar consists of a chassis and axles made of well-defined organic groups with pivoting suspension and freely rotating axles. The wheels are buckyballs, spheres of pure carbon containing 60 atoms apiece. The entire car measures just 3-4 nanometers across, making it slightly wider than a strand of DNA. A human hair, by comparison, is about 80,000 nanometers in diameter.

Some drugs can screw with your hormones, which in turn tweaks your metabolism -- birth control pills do that.

Do you know which Elavil does? It affects the appetite at the very least, since increased desire for sweets is also listed as a possible side effect. But I wonder if it'd be just more to burn off should one succumb, or if Elavil would make it stick too.

Do you know which Elavil does?

Just from a cursory glance through the literature, it looks like Elavil t edit *can* increase your craving for sweets AND slow your metabolism (though it doesn't do so in every patient). t /edit I also read something about "alterations in the regulation of fat stores," which I didn't find a full explanation for, though it sounds like it makes your body hang onto fat instead of burning it as efficiently as it should.

Does anyone have a Chicago Style Manual they're willing to part with?

Or at least, how does one cite internet sources in Chicago?

Signed,

MLA Girl

I'm telling you, they'll wish they had trampolines set up all around the base of shrift's building the day she hands in her notice.

I'm no fan of melodrama in my day-to-day life, but some rending of garments would be satisfying.

Thanks, Teppy. I'm really curious to know what an increased craving for sweets will feel like, assuming by sweets they mean dessert-like stuff. If it means candy I will gross myself out.

I mean, should I get that side effect in the lottery.

Allyson, I've got a 14th edition you can have. (The current edition is 15).

[edit: the 14th edition is old enough that they don't talk about the Internet in it much, though]

"alterations in the regulation of fat stores,"

"Fat stores must close no later than 9:00 PM and provide adequate handicapped parking."