h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

This link was in my mailbox this morning. Talk about a Nanny State. How did we get to this point? Compliments of Syn.

http://www.reason.tv/video/show/466.html

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And this description of the upcoming George W. Bush Presidential Library. Compliments of Syn and the Southwest Missouri Libertarian Party.

The George W Bush Presidential Library is now in the planning stages.

The Library will include:

The Hurricane Katrina Room,
which is still under construction.

The Alberto Gonzales Room,
where you won't be able to remember anything.

The Texas Air National Guard Room,
where you don't even have to show up.

The Walter Reed Hospital Room,
where they don't let you in.

The Guantanamo Bay Room,
where they don't let you out.

The Weapons of Mass Destruction Room,
which no one has been able to find.

The National Debt Room,
which is huge and has no ceiling.

The Economy Room,
which is in the toilet.

The Iraq War Room.
(After you complete your first tour,
they make you to go back for a second,
third, fourth, and sometimes fifth tour.)

The Dick Cheney Room,
in the famous undisclosed location,
complete with shotgun gallery.

The Ben Bernanke Room,
where master magicians create new money
out of thin air, and remove purchasing power
from your wallet without your noticing.

The Supremes Gift Shop,
where you can buy an election.

The Airport Men's Room,
where you can meet some of
your favorite Republican Senators.

The Decider Room,
complete with dart board, magic 8-ball,
Ouija board, dice, coins, and straws.

Note: The museum will feature an electron microscope
to help you locate and view the President's accomplishments.

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I've ordered my requisite number of political shirts for this years election season. I got them from a place that has something for people of every political persuasion. I like to wear them in places where I know neo-cons will be present just to watch their faces turn red.

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Last year's Mystery Night at the library was such a success that we're doing it again. In a case of not knowing when to keep my mouth shut, I remarked that the play was too long, had too many characters, and didn't have enough places for audience participation. The upshot of it all is that I'm writing the script this year.

Since this is a library event, we need to have a cast of literary characters. Last year we did storybook characters. I played the part of Aladdin. But there were nearly 40 characters total. Way too many. I'm thinking 10-12 maximum. And I'm thinking about doing an English Cozy. What I need are characters that the audience will recognize, so I'm thinking of using Agatha Christie characters and writing a silly play around them. I could have Poirot, Hastings, Miss Lemon and Japp from the Poirot books, add in Miss Marple, her nephew Raymond, Tommy and Tuppence and a few of the more famous victims. Having them all appear in the same story should be fun.


My other thought was to take the spy ideas I got last year at the Science Museum and create a play around that. Show the detective using the various methods from the exhibit. Looking through the trash for clues, disguises, the drop off, codes, etc.
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Tonight is the last regular program for summer reading. Then we'll have the awards ceremony and a special entertainer on Saturday afternoon. For some reasson, I'm more anxious to put it to rest this year than in past years. Probably because I don't enjoy this year's theme at all. Bugs.

The library smells wonderful. We're showing the movie "Bees" to the kids tonight. The children's librarian is downstairs popping popcorn. The air currents in the building brings the smell upstairs.

Let's hope the children's library will be a dear and bring some upstairs, too!

Sounds fun...

Actually, it's better if the librarian brings it -- library depts drifting around inside library buildings can initial hypercuber conditions -- don't want to go there.

We have candy sticks for them, too. And punch. I'm in charge of baking the cookies for Saturday. I'm so glad to get it over with that I'm happy to bake cookies.

Do they serve at movies in other countries?

Only the ones who copy American cinema theatres

Seriously though... I don't recall seeing popcorn at the flicks when I was a kid/teenager, but I rarely used to buy anything other than ice cream when I was watching a film so it might have been there. I do recall one of the first microwaved hot dogs though, some time around the early 70s I'd guess.

It was absolutely

The nanny-state is nothing new,

- If you live in Arkansas, you may not keep an alligator in your bathtub.
- It's unlawful to walk your cow after 1:00 on Sundays.
- On slightly less restrictive side, In Liitle Rock, a man can beat his wife provided he does it with a stick no bigger than 3 inches across and not more than once a month.
- In Tennessee, it is illegal for someone pulling up to a stop sign to refuse to fire a gun out of the window.

Small popcorn:
1952 - ten cents
2008 - five dollars

Movie admission:
1952...Double full length feature, cartoon, short serial, newsreel ... twenty-five cents
2008...One movie...45 minutes advertisments...eight dollars

Don't remind us...bad enough that a gallon of milk is only slightly less costly than a gallon of gas.

For that matter, I don't see all these nannies getting their aprons in a twist over that!

And you can't shoot camels in Arizona.

Oops

Right. Got a ZIP-code for Arizona? I have a few dromedaries that are looking for a warmer home.

There's a whole open swath of dessert north of Phoenix...maybe just send them there?

I sent the library stuff to a couple of people I know...

$8 is cheap for a movie! Here in Melbourne it's $15 (give or take a few cents). Nothing to do with the exchange rate as that equates $14.3445USD.

Because I love her dearly, and am a long-suffering husband, I took Milady to see the film version of "Mama Mia" a couple of days ago. $10 (Canuck) for each of us, and the same price for large'ish sack of .

It may be expensive, but the movies is still a good night out.
Hope the movie was good.

The story was good, some bits of amusement, and a great load of ABBA music (which is always good for me). Meryl Streep may be aging somewhat, but dang can she belt out a tune! Even Pierce Brosnan was surprising in his ability with a tune.

Then there is New Hampshire: you cross the State border and the signs say "Vehicle occupants under 18 years of age must wear seatbelts".

"Live free or die!", is the State motto...(or maybe both)...