*ERK*

I don't know why I always get hiccups when I eat at my desk. Why don't I get them eating at table at home? The scientific method would suggest spork usage is responsible.

I got a very large amount of sleep over the weekend, but feel very groggy and out of sorts. Haven't quite caught Aki's cold. Changed my glasses as I had eyestrain most of the weekend too; I think it's time for new specs regardless. It was so cold on Saturday we all sat around wrapped in blankets and double sweat-pants. I see that LiveJournal went down; I didn't access it during the weekend so the quavering waves of pent-up teen-girl angst are only now heading my way. "Oh Josh, Josh, why didn't you call...?"

Long Survey Meme

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(no subject)

From today's Globe and Mail. I know many of you do not share my interest in copyright and intellectual law (well, it's not an interest, more like a viewing-with-alarm) but here goes:

How copyright could be killing culture

The high cost of getting permission to use archival footage and photos threatens to put makers of documentaries out of business

by GUY DIXON

As Americans commemorate Martin Luther King Jr. and his legacy today, no television channel will be broadcasting the documentary series Eyes on the Prize. Produced in the 1980s and widely considered the most important encapsulation of the American civil-rights movement on video, the documentary series can no longer be broadcast or sold anywhere.
Why?

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But at a time when documentaries are probing the U.S. war on terrorism or globalization, for instance, in ways that are more in-depth than typical mainstream news media, the question of whether copyright restrictions are creating a blinkered view of the world is a serious one.

"Why do you think the History Channel is what it is? Why do you think it's all World War II documentaries? It's because it's public-domain footage. So the history we're seeing is being skewed towards what's fallen into public domain," says filmmaker Robert Stone in the American University study.
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Recipe Time

To Clean the Teeth. Castile soap and cigar ashes applied with a soft rag is one of the best tooth preparations known.

To Destroy Bees in the Home. Place 2 or 3 shallow vessels half filled with water on the floors where they assemble, with strips of cardboard running from the edge of the vessel to the floor; they will eagerly ascend and find a watery grave.

To Burn Candles Slowly. Put finely powdered salt on the candle till it reaches the black portion of the wick; it will give a dull light, suitable for the sick room, and be sure to last the entire night.

Fertilizer from Carcasses. For a large animal draw 4 or 5 wagon loads of muck, sod or mold; roll the carcass onto this, sprinkle freely with quicklime - 10 or 12 wagon loads will not be too much. In less than a year several wagond loads of excellent fertilizer will be made.

Vomiting, to stop. Drink hot water. Just as hot as can be borne.