Oddity of American Politics

In the light of the republican party's ability to rally the poor to protest against health care reforms that would provide them and their children with the care they cannot presently afford comes an interesting BBC article concerning why people (in America) often vote against their own interests.

Hair and a Cool Fusion Experiment

Michelle picked up a bleach kit for Thayne and, last night, helped him apply it with this result:


Looks good to me. I wish I had bleached my hair when I was younger; I just don't have the strong desire to try it now.

In other news, I was interested to read this BBC article about the laser fusion experiment conducted by the US National Ignition Facility. They focused 192 high powered lasers on a "centimetre-scale cylinder of gold called a hohlraum (which) contains a tiny pellet of fuel made from an isotope of hydrogen called deuterium." While forty years of theory had led them to expect the lasers to create a plasma which would limit the fuel from absorbing the laser's energy, they were amazed to discover that 95% of the energy was absorbed and that the plasma could actually be manipulated to encourage even absorption of the energy. With this success they believe they are on the way to replicating atomic fusion by the end of the year. There's a lot more information and some cool photos on the BBC site.

One stamp, three pieces of mail

This morning I went to the post office to mail the legals for a story that a Vancouver company just optioned with the intent of developing into a film, which is good and exciting news not dampened by my finding this in the mail box:



If you can't see it well, the letter has been mechanically separated into three pieces and, along with bits of the exposed note, there's bits of cash. The pieces are taped into their present arrangement and are sealed in a small plastic bag pre-printed with an apologetic We Really Do Try Our Best statement from Canada Post.

I admit I've always had a laid back attitude toward sending cash in the mail, but I've never seen such a mangled piece of post before so I will take it a lesson. As far as I know banks will recognize taped up tender so long as the serial numbers are a match. Having opened the package, I see that the cash has been cleanly torn into three pieces and should tape together nicely.

Also Thayne's hair looks pretty much the same this morning as it has every other morning of the last week. He is considering professional help.

I finished Jeff Smith's Bone series last night. Excellent. It's a nine volume graphic novel series about three Bone cousins who find themselves lost in a strange valley peopled by dragons, rat creatures, and, er, people. It's targetted at kids, it's scope is epic fantasy, it has great and rich humour and has garnered wide accolades.

Also finished Michael Chabon's Werewolves in Their Youth, a collection of short stories and particularly enjoyed the last in the volume, a wonderful little Lovecraftian horror story written in the persona of August Van Zorn, a character from Wonder Boys.

I thought my next read was going to be Stephen King's Under the Dome, as I picked it up from the library yesterday, but Michelle claimed it while I was finishing Bone. I also picked up some Graham Greene (three novels and a short story collection as Thayne has just finished The Human Factor and wanted to read more by Greene) so I will probably attack one of those.

Now to get some writing done.

Dangerous Roads

Did some writing this morning then took Matthias and Thayne into Moose Jaw. Matthias got a pair of skates and Thayne got his beginner's driving license. He then spent part of the evening putting hydrogen peroxide in his hair. We didn't see a huge difference immediately, but it'll be interesting to see what happens. He might have to go to an actual hairdresser to get the desired effect.

Now Playing on the Wall

This morning the coffee shop succeeded in evoking a Fahrenheit 451 feel by projecting the Canada AM television show on the side wall, but with good reason. Local Moose Jaw hangout Joe's Place has been vying for a $50,000 Aviva Community grant and won. Canada AM was basing part of their show out of Joe's Place and kept returning there with updates of how Joe's Place works and how the money will be used to benefit them. I'm happy for them.

It's freezing outside! -30 with the windchill but it feels colder. Really.

Also in the news, though this won't be new to those who live there, Vancouver is officially the most expensive city in which to live, with a housing value to income ratio of 9:1. To put this in perspective, a 3:1 ratio is considered sustainable/affordable.

There She Blows

A wild snowstorm, now in its second day, has been engaged with the task of burying the town. The kids headed out this morning to play in the waist high drifts, as I write this in the late afternoon the drifts are in places up to six feet tall. The dike to the north of the tenement has filled with snow and Thayne, Matthias and a friend of Thayne's are excavating a fort. The wind is strong and full of dust but they are scarved and squinting and enjoying themselves immensely.

Drag Me to Hell

This was fun, sharp and clever with just the right mix of relational emotion and yikes. When a poor, young loan officer tries to impress her boss by refusing to extend the defaulted loan of an old gypsy witch, we know she's going to be handed a dreadful curse that she doesn't really deserve. But even the stuff we expect arrives in unexpected ways and each part of this film is surprising and fun to watch. It's definitely a horror picture but there were chuckles and I laughed out loud more than once. More than twice, more than thrice, really.

While the various sequences are scary and creepy, the film is great because we care for the main character and her boyfriend. We can see that they're nice people and would like them to be happy and have the chance to work though some of the family and work challenges facing their relationship. But alas -- a monstrous Lamia demon plans to torment her for three days, then manifest and drag her straight to hell. It's terribly unjust and I was happy to hope that they would find a way to rectify the situation.

Those able to note some important details may see where the film is going, but knowing won't diminish the ride as there's no give away as to what will happen when we get there. Ultimately Drag me to Hell is an up down maybe she'll break the curse--oh no she's doomed roller coaster ride all the way to its satisfying end.