Her Royal Highness The Princess Charles Philip Arthur George, Princess of Wales & Countess of Chester, Duchess of Cornwall, Duchess of Rothesay, Countess of Carrick, Baroness of Renfrew, Lady of the Isles, Princess of Scotland.

The traditional etiquette for learning of news of an engagement or wedding is to congratulate the groom and to wish the bride very happy.

Recently, a woman I work with became engaged. Bearing in mind Miss Manners' advice, I said something along the lines of, "I'm sure you will be very happy."

This later came up in conversation with a third party, who, apparently, was the only other person in the office who did not use the word "congratulations." After we assured each other of our moral superiority (snrk!), I went back to my desk. But then I started to think the rule is outdated and sexist. Here's why.

Telling the bride congratulations is traditionally considered bad form because it implies she's lucky to get a husband. It was therefore rude ... but actually, it was true that she was lucky to get a husband. For much of recorded history, unmarried women were considered socially and economically incomplete. The rudeness lay in acknowledging the truth, if you see what I mean.

In a culture like ours, wherein women theoretically have the same earning power and social status as men, there should be no difference in the form of acknowledgment. Equal partners are about to undertake the solemn commitment of marriage—a covenant of joy. Surely there is no more appropriate response than a hearty congratulations.

From this point forth, I shall merrily ignore this rule and congratulate the affianced and newly married with the same words, regardless of gender. I'm such a rebel.

You Are Chinese

You are a bit old fashioned and deliberate. You take your time and do things the right way. You have an eye for craftsmanship and quality. You cherish and appreciate beautiful objects. You are interested in the past. You consider yourself to be a student of history, and you are always learning. You are also naturally quite artistic. Even if you aren't an artist by trade, it's likely that you have perfect penmanship.

       

I want to be at Pennsic, but not enough to drive there or fly there and set up. Does that make sense? Or am I babbling?
In any case, I'm too busy at work to take the time right now.

We went to see Transformers 2 today. No, it's not a good movie, and there are plot holes big enough to drive Optimus Prime through. But it wasn't supposed to be an enduring legacy -- it's a summer movie, and that's enough.
As I watched it, though, I was struck by its similarity to most modern action movies. By which I mean stunning violence displayed as a marvelous acrobatic ballet, beautifully graceful even in slam-bang action sequences punctuated with flaming explosions. All human death is portrayed as instantaneous and bloodless, and in this movie the only mourning is for Optimus Prime, a monster of steel and glass.
What does it say about us that we love the sparkle and glare of explosions, the portrayal of disaster and human danger, and ignore the cost that would follow in real life? It would be too disgusting and distasteful to market a summer movie that showed human suffering in any detail, so we have these tremendously expensive blockbusters that are the equivalent of pure sugar candy.

http://xkcd.com/593/

Small, fat, furry, squealing baby otters! WANT!

Speech by Nate Phelps to the American Atheists Convention in April. It's a very interesting story, but what makes me so sad is Nate's description of what living with his father was like. Those poor people.
http://natephelps.com/10801.html

Worldwide unseasonable cold, famine, and death: 1816 had no summer, and it's all because of the eruption of Mount Tambora in Indonesia.

http://volcanoes.suite101.com/article.cfm/the_year_without_a_summer_1816

The video is SERIOUSLY weird. Shrink the window and just listen to the audio -- you'll be glad you did.