Amusing stories of red tape incidents: [link]

My heart just ached for the international banker who, in order to maintain his permanant US residency of 35 years, has to actually be in the US ever six months.

This picture may have been posted before, but it is just so awesome: Friday Cephalopod: Some pig

Eight Reasons You Should Keep Coke Away From Your Vagina

Just because people in the 1950s and 1960s reached for a Coke bottle after sex to use as a spermicide dispenser doesn't mean soft drink douches are an effective method of birth control.

From researcher Deborah J Anderson [yes, she really put a mix of sperm and soda under the microscope and studied it], here are the top eight reasons why, after sex, the soda goes po (you drink it), not pv (you don't spray it into your vagina)

Nilly, Eureka and Veronica Mars might fill the bill. I assume you've already mentioned Firefly. West Wing is another fast-talking show, although for her it might be kind of a crash course in U.S. politics. The Stargates are fun if you can temporarily turn off some of the logic centers in the brain. In older shows, I've found that M*A*S*H and WKRP in Cincinnati hold up pretty well. She could also look at some of the greater U.S. artistic contributions, Looney Toons and Rocky and Bullwinkle and Friends.

I would also add Wonderfalls and Pushing Daisies to the mix.

has to actually be in the US ever six months.

If I understand correctly it's six months per year.

Somali Pirates Free Saudi Tanker

A Saudi super-tanker that was captured by Somali pirates in November carrying two million barrels of oil has been released, unconfirmed reports say.

The Sirius Star was reportedly seen moving south-east away from the Somali coast. A pirate spokesman was quoted as saying the pirates had left the vessel.

It would be such an awesome job to be a pirate spokesman. I wonder if just any pirate can be a pirate spokesman? Or maybe they save it for the pirates who can no longer participate in actual piracy? Like maybe there's a rule that if you have a total of three or more peg legs and hooks, or if you have two eye patches, or if you're allergic to parrots, you can't board ships anymore but you can be the pirate spokesman if you want.

I should really get the complete Northern Exposure box set on DVD.

Yes! Yes, you should. Everyone should. We have it; I got it for my birthday a couple of years ago, and it's fabulous! Dave's been watching indiscriminately, but we've been watching together, in order, regularly. We just started season four, and we've just gotten to an episode that neither of us had seen (the one with Maurice's clock) and it was awesome.

It's such a freaking good show. The continuity, oh, the continuity. And storytelling and character development. And Alaska!

The first job I had in Columbus was less than 2 minutes away from my apartment. I used to go home every single day to eat lunch and walk the dog and I'd watch NE on A&E. I'm fairly sure I've seen every episode more than once. I never tire of it.