Urgent Appeal: Please Help Protect Ayaan Hirsi Ali. Donations to the Ayaan Hirsi Ali Security Trust can be made here.

(And yes, MFM and I have already donated to this really very worthwhile cause.)

Always be careful what you eat.

[T]he fact is that consensual sexual generosity is far more likely to occur
in good countries than in evil ones; it is a sign of confidence, not of decadence.

- Julie Burchill, The Times

Fred Phelps has new signs.

According to The Scotsman, a man in Saudi Arabia taking his sick 63-year-old female neighbour to hospital and visiting her in her flat upon her return has been

... convicted of immoral behaviour by religious police who enforce the state's strict code banning women from mixing with men other than relatives.

His "charitable act... has landed him 50 days and counting behind bars", Arab News, an English language daily, said.

The completely bizarro Saudi religious police actually reminds me of Brian's mother in Life of Brian (except, of course, that they are not necessarily as funny) whose own preoccupation with sex makes her conclude that everybody else is also so inclined:

Brian: Have I got a big nose, Mum?
Brian's mother: Stop thinking about sex!

I hate day light saving. I hate day light saving in general and day light saving in Australia in particular. Yes, obviously it's super-important to save on that precious day light in a place where the sun seems to shine all the bloody time. NOT!

Day light saving is an invention by the devil. That's what it is.

Time has a list of the Top 25 Horror Movies and at spot #20 we find Bambi. Lets read that one more time, shall we?!
 
... and at spot number 20 we find BAMBI!
 
  That's right: fawns, stomping rabbits, ice ... ooooooooh, spokey!

(Actually, to be fair, I don't know how serious this list is: they have Shaun of the Dead as their #1.)

At least someone in Britain still has a sense of humour.

Super-gorgeous (self-described) 25-year-old girl puts ad on craigslist: she wants to marry (N.B. marriage only; none of that dating crap) +500k man. What is she doing wrong? What do such men look for in a woman? +500k man takes time out to answer. Q&A here.

Achmed takes time off from his virgins to do an interview. Silence ... I kill you!

Herd Watching has an interesting post about a now-cured 9/11 Truther, Mike Metzger (MikeyMetz): A 9/11 'Truther' Reforms and What We Can Learn about Fringe Groups from It All ...

Personally, I find most interesting a bit from the quote from the former 'truther' himself:

For whatever reasons at the time, I no-showed the 8/11 truth action our group was doing in Albany. Instead, I watched a movie called Screw Loose Change. I expected it to point out a few corrections in some minor details of the film. To my surprise, it contested just about every claim in the entire movie. I was a bit shocked.
I was a true believer of all this controlled demolition nonsense for a time. I never cared about the physics or the claims of pseudo-"experts." What always did it for me was the fact that there was never a decent response to any of these questions by the government. [...] After watching Screw Loose Change, I delved into the world of 9/11 Truth debunking. Among my favorites are the Screw Loose Change Blog and 9/11 Myths[.] Finally, someone was answered all these pertinent questions with something that was a bit foreign to me... facts agreed upon by the experts.

Information as cure to conspiracy theories. Well, well, well, what do you know?!

[Mike Metzinger's new blog is called Confessions of an Ex-Truther.]

'Dear Dr Ruth ...'

Courtesy of Villanous Company

1. Estne volumen in toga, an solum tibi libet me videre? Is that a papyrus roll in your toga or are you just happy to see me?
2. Cogito, ergo doleo I think, therefore I'm depressed.
3. Ita erat quando hic adveni It was like that when I got here.
4. Canis meus id comedit My dog ate it.
5. Sona si latine loqueris Honk if you speak Latin.

Courtesy of Latinska Citat

'It's like trying to lose weight by cutting open an artery - it sorta works, but the collateral damage is severe.'
Silliman's Blog explains why newspapers are wrong to ditch literary reviews to boost their viability.

1. Kiss your assets goodbye.
2. Get drunk.
3. Listen to Louise Hoffsten's Dance on Your Grave on 11:
   My father told me, I've seen the type before:
   He's never satisfied 'til he has all and more.
   My father told me to stay away from you
   Before you wash my brain and twist my point of view.

   I guess I didn't clean my ears that morning;
   I really put all my trust in you.

   Chorus:
   I'm gonna dance on your grave one day,
   Play the maracas and sing olé.
   Dance on your grave one day.
   I'm gonna dance on your grave one day,
   Invite all my friends for a cabaret
   Dance on your grave one day
   I'll have a ball ... when you're gone!

4. Try to ensure you'll do better next time.
5. Go home and turn ALL the lights on.