Phaedrus

There are occasional threads that are Ottawa-specific but not really related to SPs/MAs/SCs, but not very many of them. As others have noted, most of the miscellaneous threads that are posted here really ought to go in the General section somewhere. That's what it's for. A quick note to those of you who seem irked by these threads - you can always PM Mod and ask him to move the thread to another forum. And hopefully Mod won't now hate me for sending a buttload of extra work his way...

Well, as for why he did it, in his brother's words: Same as everybody else. And here's the case for him (probably) being back next season. Now, onwards to the glorious future when this sort of thing isn't remotely newsworthy!

The Sheriff of Nottingham. In every Robin Hood book/movie/whatever I've ever seen, I always end up rooting for him. Alas, he never wins... I don't know why, but it's probably because Robin Hood is usually so nauseatingly nice. And, of course, Alan Rickman was the best of them, although he fact that he had the most horrendous Robin Hood of the lot probably doesn't hurt.

Happy birthday, Courtney!

As others have said, it's very important to discuss this with your nearest and dearest while it's still a future possibility, and before it becomes a real issue. I had a couple of long conversations with my parents and siblings about this over Christmas (festive, huh? :) ) - my parents have done quite a bit of thinking about it, and have made a point of making sure their wishes are clearly and unambiguously written down. Those include both courses of action that are currently legal (DNR, withholding treatment, etc) and those that aren't yet but may become so (a graceful exit with active assistance from a third party). It also covers the circumstances under which others may take control of their affairs, and who those others are. I've done the same. It's all a bit morbid, but I think it really ought to be done... and if you haven't had these conversations with your own families yet, it might be an idea to do so. If nothing else, let them know your wishes (after all, you never know when you might be incapacitated), and remember that when the time comes, written instructions are far better than a badly-remembered conversation from several years ago. And if you find it tough to broach the subject with your own parents, it may be that telling them your wishes will get them to at least think about the question. Of course, the big problem with all of this, when you're dealing with a person who's on the way out, is the potential for abuse, especially when there's nothing written down; it's an unfortunate fact that there are those who will abuse this sort of thing to get rid of people with malice aforethought, and any legalization of euthanasia would have to address this. Finally, my recollection from previous reading on the subject is that it happens all the time, even without being legal. It seems that many medical professionals have had that moment when the family, or the patient themselves, look you in the eye and ask, "Is there nothing you can do?"... and you know exactly what they mean. And so, if the doctor is willing, a dose of the painkillers that the patient's already on is given, but the doctor forgets to record it on the chart, and so the next doctor to come round a few minutes later repeats the dose... and what happens, happens. It would certainly be better if there were some sort of legal way of doing this.

Hey, I'm even later! Hope you had an awesome day, Cleo!

General question: anyone know how well sunscreen and condoms get on with each other? I've never bothered to find out myself (there are some bits of me that I'd prefer not to burn, thanks :) ) but it strikes me as the sort of combination that might not work well...

Kangaroos! Bacon sandwich or... vertical bacon sandwich? :)

....although I hope this one doesn't escalate to the horse stage! And now... sensible duck is sensible.

Oh. My. God.

...you will be.

I thought you bought the bride, and I bought the beer? Or was it the other way around? It was all rather confused...

So, unless you've been living under a rock for the last week, you'll be aware that Boston was completely locked down while a huge manhunt took place. Everything was shut... except for resources that the police considered essential at the time. And what do the police consider essential? Dunkin' Donuts. Really, you couldn't make it up...

...They end up in politics! Mayoral candidate: 'I was a working girl in a legal brothel' VICKSBURG, MS (Mississippi News Now) - In an exclusive interview Friday with WLBT and Fox40, Vicksburg Mayoral Candidate Linda Fondren revealed more about her past than ever before. "I was a working girl in a legal brothel over 30 years ago. It's true, my husband was my client. My husband and I have been married for 28 years," Fondren said. Previous reports linked Fondren and her husband Jim Fondren to the Nevada brothel Sagebrush Ranch. Fondren confirms they did own the ranch until it sold in 1992. She admits she never expected her past as a prostitute to stay a secret forever, but she left it out of previous discussions to keep from embarrassing her family. "I knew it would surface because it was around. I just didn't think it would surface and I would be sitting here doing an interview with you today," Fondren said. She said she isn't proud of what she did, but she doesn't have regrets. "My story is exactly why I'm running for mayor because I want to give other people better choices than what I had," Fondren said. "I want people to understand you can turn your life around. I turned my life around and so it definitely can happen for others as well." Fondren's admission came the same day the famous owner of a Nevada brothel came forward to say he knew the Fondrens from the brothel business. Dennis Hof, the owner of the Bunny Ranch, which is located next to Sagebrush Ranch, said he's endorsing Fondren for mayor and he's proud of her accomplishments. Fondren says she doesn't know Hof well but has heard of him. She said his endorsement has prompted her to come clean. Hof said that while some might think that Fondren's history would disqualify her from candidacy, he sees it as the opposite. "Our girls go on to careers in medicine, law, and education, and they fund those educations with the money that they earn here at The Bunny Ranch," Hof said in an email to WLBT and Fox40. "I couldn't be prouder of their accomplishments, and I sincerely believe that Linda Fondren's time working as a legal prostitute in Nevada has given her the necessary business acumen to be a very successful mayor." Hof said he hopes that Fondren could eventually take a statewide political office and advocate for Mississippi becoming the second state in the nation to legalize the brothel industry. "What she did here was legal, safe, and well regulated. Nevada sets a progressive social example for the rest of the country by legalizing prostitution, and as the poorest state in the nation, Mississippi would be well advised to follow Nevada's lead and stimulate their economy in the process," Hof said.

Death in Vegas - Dirge Which reminds me of its

Happy birthday, PhantomKnight!

I love this. h/t Malika.