From elocinuala I got a pair of cool shot glasses (one with a tiger) and a potable hot drink mug.
From shimmeringjemmy I got a sonic screwdriver pen (with psychic paper) and the 2 Animusic DVDs.
From aiden_freeman I got the flu.

But back to AniMusic (check out their site):

Here's a sample of their work:

Tags: animation, cgi, holidays, music, news, presents
Current Location: FreePeople House: Sofa 1b; seat ∂cΩ, variant 9e31//t18
Current Mood: pleased
Current Music: Pipe Dream

Yesterday the Sioux nation dropped a bomb on the United States that more than decimated a 5 state area in the northern central plains. It pretty much destroyed Nebraska, took away the famed Devil's Tower (from Close Encounters) and almost affected Iowa.

Horrors!

Oh, wait.. Maybe I'm overreacting.

Let's look at what really happened.

A group of self-appointed representatives went to the US Secretary of State and said, "We're dissolving all US Treaties."
I assume they did this by invoking Article 15 of the Shadow Proclamation.

The perception is that the Lakota nation would thus take their land and their people and no longer be part of the US. The representative went so far to explain that anyone could live in the lands, get a Lakotan driver's licenese, passport, and no longer be part of the US. (Including the yummy lack of taxation and prosecution under US laws.)

This is the Sioux Nation we're talking about. Crazy Horse, Little Big Horn, The defeat of Custer. Why not take them seriously? Why not believe this is real?

Well, when you hear a story like this, you initially want to believe it. Assuming you're not a diehard abortion-doctor-killin', flag-burner-ass-whumpin', love-our-troops-least-til-they-come-home-then-ignore-'em, red-white-and-blue-bleedin' "AMER'CN"! If you have a shred of open-mindedness, you dream of a place of freedom from the government which you and mostly everyone you know has lost faith in. Bully for the Native (no longer) Americans

Okay.. enough ham-fisting the topic.

I hear a story like this and I want to get the details. I mean... this is the kind of thing that makes most groups kind of shudder. I spent years in the SCA hearing the horror stories about the size of the files that the FBI had on the group because the SCA was the largest freestanding militia not under any country's direct control. One day we might rise up and take on the US and could potentially destroy their army with our foils and rattan sticks. Personally, I thought it'd be Kit's talent for eating strawberries. He could make a straight man give pause. (Yes, this last bit is an obscure reference that probably no one will get)

But back to the Sioux... or the Lakhota... or more properly to Russell Means. On December 20, 2007, Means announced the withdrawal of the Lakota Sioux from all treaties with the US Gov't. He made claim to a slightly larger than previously established land area.

The question now is not how will the US Government deal with this. The question is "How will the Sioux deal with this?" Means has lost election after election for the leadership of the Sioux Nation. So does he really speak for the people of the Sioux Nation?

My personal opinion is that this move could be horribly damaging to the Sioux. The US will probably ignore this as an internal affair. This could be viewed as an attempted political coup. Unfortunately with the track record of his own nation not supporting him, Means will probably not have much support. Either Means will quietly go away and the Sioux will try to remove the egg from their face, or Means' supporters will rally leading to a possible fracture, schism, or split of the Sioux Nation, making it inevitably...even less of a threat to the US.

To put it in simpler terms: If the Secretary of the SCA stood up and said, "Today we are independent of the US. Pennsic's lands are ours. Come live in our world.".. it would do little more than get the person thrown out on their ear.

My predictions:
41% Sioux Nation ignores it
32% Sioux Nation makes PR statement denying it.
25% Means makes more statements of grandiosity and then see previous two predictions.
2% Sioux nation backs Means. Then there will be another post or 20.

One final note... In researching this I have found two different spellings: Lakota and Lakhota. I'd like an official statement on this before I apply for my passport.

Tags: attention, events, leo, news, silly
Current Location: FreePeople House: Sofa 1b; seat 9b, variant 1p27//j218
Current Mood: amused

It looks like the November News is in:

Comment editing now works
Facebook connection.

See the link for more.

Tags: lj, meta, news
Current Location: Bus ride home
Current Mood: pleased

As relayed to me and posted by shimmeringjemmy

The US Supreme Court upheld a ban on later term abortions that do not take into account the health of the mother.

Personally, I see this as yet another step in law creation that is designed to protect the lawmaker over the people.

In the past year I have seen the following rights of the individual taken away:
rights to put money into playing poker online
rights to carry arms on a college campus to defend oneself
rights to have a medical operation than may be necessary to save oneself

It is far more important for the US bipartisan system to make a daily effort to polarize its inhabitants into abject apathy so that the control of government is firmly removed from its citizens hands.

The principle of popular election is a fatal folly; its results are visible in every so-called democracy. The elected man is always the mediocrity; he is the safe man, the sound man, the man who displeases the majority less than any other; and therefore never the genius, the man of progress and illumination. - Liber 194 - 10.

The average american (sic) no longer votes about issues they care about. They vote about polarized words they've been taught to take sides on.

Why does government even try to legislate school prayer when the actions of one person's religious beliefs should be untouchable by government? Why legislate the question of the life of the unborn child when the religious leaders of the world can't agree on the answer.

A government that has to legislate to protect against the expression of the destruction of its symbolic equivalent is a government that acknowledges that they are failing. Translation without big words: If you have to take away the first amendment rights of free speech to prevent people from burning the flag... you admit that people are losing faith in what the flag symbolizes.

Freedom, independence, liberty refer to an absence of undue restrictions and an opportunity to exercise one's rights and powers. Freedom emphasizes the opportunity given for the exercise of one's rights, powers, desires, or the like: freedom of speech or conscience; freedom of movement.

Personally, when the government makes laws that affect what I do with my life... when the government makes laws that turn personal activities criminal... I for one, don't feel a brimming sensation of freedom.

When it is outlawed, only criminals will profit.

Tags: annoyance, news, politics
Current Mood: annoyed
Current Music: slow beat of drums

As it's been posted elsewhere publicly:

Congrats to matertiamat who was appointed yesterday by the Electoral College of the OTO as the newest master of Horizon Oasis.

Tags: horizon, news, oto
Current Mood: pleased

Many people complain that LJ is "Bad"

It is a place where the average person forgets that there is any form of social procedure and drops anything from personal tragedy to rumour mongering to unsupported character assassination.

But it's also a place where friends separated by thousands of miles can share the birth of a child. It's a place where a new job after a year of searching can be happily proclaimed. It's a place where the answer to your long sought question can be answered.

LJ is a tool. No more and no less. How each person chooses to use that tool separates the man that builds a log cabin from Tobe Hooper.

Today I read a piece of stirring commentary. It is very well written. It has a strong political bias... but the bias is not from rote as so many people suffer it today. This bias is based in the person's experience. The experience is captivating and justifies the opinion. (At least in my own). It's a long and at times difficult read... but worth it.

Personally I'm glad for LiveJournal because it affords me links like this one.

Credit to shimmeringjemmy who pointed me there.

Tags: commentary, history, news, nostalgia
Current Mood: impressed

In the last 24 hours I accepted a Full time position with Microsoft working on Microsoft Office for the Macintosh.

A long year has come completely to a close. I start July 31st once again continuing my career as a Mac Engineer.

Happiness abounds.

Comments should go to this link if you have access. (The longer post that was 'friends posted')


Oh, and one other thing....

I have been receiving anonymous posts. I haven't posted about it because the first post left me scratching my head as to the author. Today the author identified themselves.
Once I get that communication channel established (I've already emailed and left voice mail)... I will have a post about how today's discovery (the identity of the poster) was just as happy news as the job offer I received yesterday.

So.. yes.. more forthcoming.

okay.. two.. For the special nostalgic nature of today's news... I've put up an old icon of mine I like.

Tags: job, news, nostalgia, pluff
Current Location: Soon to be my old cube
Current Mood: ecstatic
Current Music: Something from A Little Night Music, I'd think

I really appreciate your visit and interest in our company. At this point, we are unable to offer you a position, though we appreciate your talent and I will keep your contact info in my Address Book in case we need to contact you for a future project.

I wish you great success in finding your next gig!

I may or may not comment (friends only) about how I'm doing. Right now, I just wanted to update people since everyone has been so supportive.

Tags: disappointment, down, news, work
Current Mood: disappointed

Why yes, I haven't posted in a while. Life has actually been too much of a distraction. But, when a naked girl climbs over to you for kisses every morning... who's going to blame you for reduced postings?

Well, that aside, I was flipping through some of my random sites and decided to take a look on OKCupid. This is a bizarre little site that believes that it can pinpoint matches far better than any other site. It does so by asking you (over time) hundreds maybe thousands of little multiple choice questions.

All are incredibly open to interpretation and debate. You pick the one answer that best suits you; the up to all but one answer that you'd like your matches to pick, and how important this question is to your dating someone. (Or... you can just skip the question outright)

In the words of Hedy LeMarr, "Why am I telling you this?"

Well, one question popped up that sent my little Thelemic mind reeling. The question was as follows:

"Is your duty to religion/God even more important than your family" answer: Yes or No.

Gads. My gut instinct would be to put a resounding "NO" down. I've dealt with so many fundamentalists in my life that... that... and then I rethought the question...

( time for Andrei's world view... )

So, that being said, I answered the question. This prompted me to reconsider my biography on the site. On most dating sites, I pretty much point people to my LiveJournal profile and leave it at that. But, now with my newfound desire to talk more about myself and who I am, (Gosh, self involved much?) I decided to actually write a dating site Who am I biography.

I've spent the last 10 years training myself to not really care what others think about me. Many old friends (of which there aren't many left) know how dependent I used to be on the opinions of others. That being said, I decided to exercise the irony of putting the new bio here for the sole purpose of soliciting opinions. I liked OKCupid's format because it asks you to write a Bio while highlighting search terms. OKC of course is not the most liberal of sites, so I'm pretty sure my new bio is sure to put off the people I want to put off. So... below is the bio... Feel free to comment. (Underlines represent highlight terms, not links)

( And this is how Andrei represents himself. )

Tags: bio, friends, news
Current Mood: curious

CNN has been running non-stop coverage on Katrina's rampage through the gulf region.

Several satellite uplinks had to be pulled down because the satellite dishes on vans act like giant sails on sea going vessels. As a result the van runs the risk of being physically picked up by the winds and flying into the air.

CNN is proud that they've been able to pull down nearly live footage without the use of Satellite. Repeatedly they have said the following:

And we've been able to deliver this footage here at CNN with an entirely new technology known as FTP

Okay, all together now...

BWAHAHAHAHAHA AHAHAHAHAHA WOOOHOOOHOO HAHAHAHAHA

Such mighty technology. Next CNN will offer multiple graphics during the coverage with their secret weapon: Gopher.

Edit: And a live report from Mobile, AL just included the line: "And as you can see, Water street is under Water."
The footage kept being interrupted with an emergency tone. The national CNN commentator said, "Well, it's a good thing that we had that tone to cover all the explitives." No really, she was serious and actually thought the emergency 1K tones were obscenity bleeps.

Either the director or this national commentator is not going to last at CNN very long.

Tags: humour, news, technology
Current Mood: giggly