This is kinda' nuts: As if Things Weren't Bad Enough, Russian Professor Predicts End of U.S.

Mr. Panarin posits, in brief, that mass immigration, economic decline, and moral degradation will trigger a civil war next fall and the collapse of the dollar. Around the end of June 2010, or early July, he says, the U.S. will break into six pieces -- with Alaska reverting to Russian control.

But still, the map of the disintegrated US is kinda' cool. Apparently, us Illinoisians will be part of "The Central North-American Republic", which "[w]ill be part of Canada or under Canadian influence."

Ahem.

O Canada!
Our home and native land!
True patriot love in all thy sons command.

The NC-istas may end up as part of the EU. Cool! Pretty money for all!

Oh, it's Monday all right, tommyrot. Somewhat more Monday-esque than usual, in fact.

I'm going to be giving Monday the evil eye.

Once my eyes are fully open, that is.

If the US breaks up like that, I am SO moving out of Georgia.

This is awesome: Wall-E in wood (A sculpture of Wall-E out of wood.)

How come we get stuck with the midwest?

Fashion: Best Trends Of 2008 (SLIDESHOW)

Is it me, or is Victoria Beckham even more freakishly thin than usual?

And I love that purple is the "new neutral."

From the "Not Quite Ready to Do Actual Work" dept: this is a very beautiful animated video, for a great Andrew Bird song: [link]

About the animator:

Lisa Barcy is an award winning animator, and maker of puppets and other three-dimensional oddities. She has made puppets for various theater companies and contributed animation to multi-media performances by the dance company, The Seldoms. Her work for Redmoon Theater has been seen at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago, The Chicago Shakespeare Theater, and the Viaduct Theater. In spring of 2005 her puppets were seen traipsing across the stage and stabbing each other in the critically acclaimed Redmoon production of The Cabinet, based on the film The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari. She is an Adjunct Assistant Professor at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago’s Department of Film, Video and New Media. Lisa also teaches animation at Columbia College in Chicago.

The video is a touching, bitter-sweet romance between a man and a squid.

Russian Professor Predicts End of U.S.

Alternately, "Russian professor reads Thirteen by Richard K Morgan and mistakes it for nonfiction."

Ooh. A theremin kit just arrived for me.

I wanna start building it now. Let's see - which client can I bill my time to....