Osama Bin Laden has been killed

To be utterly clear where I stand: I think that tonight's announcement is the completion of a legitimately pronounced death sentence (based on OBL's guilt in the 9/11 and prior attacks, determined by his own voluntary confessions). I'm not rejoicing, and I'm glad this item got scratched off the national To Do list.

Also, if you're in the US, especially in NY or Washington, please be extra careful for the next while. (I know I will be, especially working in a building named for one of the top financial-related targets of Al Qaeda.)

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Last night, the crowd gathered outside the White House was largely young, and rowdy, and celebrating a death in an undignified and, IMO, inappropriate way.

There was a moment when I really hoped the President would come outside to the WH portico, in his nightclothes and cap, and say to them "Hey, you kids, get off of my LAWN!"

(Note: No smiley. As funny as that would have been, I think it would have been appropriate and right.)

Free sample!

Have a taste; the first one is free :-)

This is 8in8 (Amanda Palmer, Ben Folds, Neil Gaiman, and Damien Kulash): "One Tiny Thing".

From the album Nighty-Night

Credits: "One Tiny Thing"
Vocals, iPad, and Tambourine: Damian Kulash
Mellotron & Additional Acoustic Piano: Ben Folds
Handclaps & Stomping: Amanda Palmer, Neil Gaiman, Damian Kulash, Sean Francis, Super Kate, and Hayley Rosenblum

To quote the soft drink ads: Oh, yeah!

(via)

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How Sci-Fi Makes Us More Open to Strange Forms of Sex and Sexuality

Science fiction knows how to play around with sex and gender. The free-lovin’ of A Stranger in A Strange Land, Commander Shepard’s bisexual proclivities, and William T. Riker’s seemingly universal interspecies compatibility are constant sources of entertainment.

Not a bad overview of the topic, and takes a good number of variables into consideration. Deserves a much deeper look, and, of course, even more mainstream acceptance of these variations.