Open Threads

Via TalkLeft, here is a Molly Ivins piece on what she believes is wrong with Texas justice, and I am not going to comment on what she believes is wrong- it is Molly, and you can read the piece and sort things out for yourself. However, she does have this up, which I had never heard before, and I was wondering if any of you had ever heard anything about it:

But in the small towns and rural areas where heavy crime is rare, a D.A. has to whup on whoever gets caught. Sometime in the ’80s, a guy in Lubbock stole 12 frozen turkeys. They were recovered, still frozen. Not only no damage, but no defrost. The guy bought 75 years, which works out to 6.3 years per bird. Don’t steal a turkey in Lubbock.

there has to be more to this story, and I believe the ‘three strikes and your out” phenomenon started in the 90’s. Anyone know anything about this?

The Fowl Smell of Texas JusticePost + Comments (24)

So I am watching the premiere of Farscape in order to get the background before trying the series, and I had a thought I had never had before regarding science-fiction and the concept of time. The characters kept using ‘alien’ units of time, and it occurred to me that I have never really contemplated how they quantify time in this sort of show.

We all know how we measure time, and here are a few alternatives, but how do most science fiction shows treat time? How would yuou measure time if you were a fiction writer? Is a reconceptualization of how time is measured and treated be an integral part of any science fiction?

The Inner Geek Appears AgainPost + Comments (17)

In case you are wondering, the ceviche came out great. I used:

Sea scallops
Shrimp
Red Snapper
Mango
Peach
Green and Red pepper
Jalapeno
Roma tomatoes
Limes
Lemons
Cilantro
Sea salt and fresh ground pepper.

I whipped it all up, let it cook in the fridge all afternoon, and placed in a bowl lined with greens and topped with sliced avocado.

And I washed it down with Laphroiag.

It was as tasty as it was pretty. If I don’t post tomorrow, it is because I have dropped dead from food poisoning.

CevichePost + Comments (8)

Ted Barlow has his list of books up from the book survey.

Michele’s can be found here, Kimmitt’s can be found here, and my list is here. I have given up on the others- they just won’t play.

And Gary Farber has decided to be coy and won’t pare his list down below 100 books.

Michael Demmons has his list here.

<s>Fictional Books</s> Fiction ChoicesPost + Comments (4)

The Tv Tome (like the IMDB but for television) seems to be under new management.

Also- have any of you ever made ceviche at home? Tips, cautions, and recipes would be appreciated.

One Last ThingPost + Comments (10)