Toren Atkinson’s Absolute Blog

President Vladimir Putin of Russia responded to the recent terror attacks there by announcing plans for a radical restructuring of the Russian political system that would end the popular election of regional governors and district representatives in parliament. [Lexington Herald-Leader] Many of those governors praised Putin’s plans; few politicians dared criticize them. Colin Powell expressed “concerns.” [New York Times]

Republicans in West Virginia told voters that Democrats will ban the Bible if John Kerry wins the presidency in November. [Associated Press] Dick Cheney said that electing John Kerry could lead to another terrorist attack. [USA Today]

Two Canadian lesbians were granted a divorce. [New York Times]

A schoolteacher was arrested for carrying a weighted bookmark in her purse as she attempted to board an airplane in Tampa, Florida. [St. Petersburg Times]

Scientists were developing a stinky robot that attracts flies, which it then digests and converts into electricity. [New Scientist]

The Cassini spacecraft discovered a new ring around Saturn. [2004-09-09] The Genesis space capsule, which had been collecting sun beams in outer space, crashed into the Nevada desert after two helicopters failed to catch it in mid-air as planned. [New Scientist]

British psychologists warned that people who keep diaries are more likely to suffer from headaches, insomnia, digestive complaints, and social problems. [New Scientist]

Social problems? SOCIAL PROBLEMS!?!

Chechen militants took more than 1,000 children and adults hostage at a school in southern Russia, though the Russian government lied at first and claimed that there were only 354 hostages; at least 338 died, half of whom were children, when security forces stormed the school. [Washington Post, Reuters]

Three people were trampled to death at an Ikea grand opening in Saudi Arabia.

President Bush said that the “war on terror” is unwinnable but then quickly changed his mind; [Associated Press]

It was discovered that full-body CT scans expose patients to the same level of radiation that people a few miles from Hiroshima received in World War II, and that the scans increase one’s risk of developing cancer. [New Scientist]

Brown bears were terrorizing a village in Transylvania. [Reuters]

A new study showed that the air pollution created by cigarettes is 10 times worse than diesel exhaust.

The head of the EPA said that fish in almost all lakes and rivers and streams in the United States are contaminated with mercury, for which there is no safe exposure level.

It was reported that a janitor at Tate Modern in London threw out a work of art because he thought it was just a bag of garbage; the artwork, entitled “Recreation of First Public Demonstration of Auto-Destructive Art,” was in fact a bag of garbage. [Reuters]

Swiss researchers found that people really do enjoy revenge. [Reuters]

The American Civil Liberties Union warned that the federal government has been using corporations to carry out surveillance of citizens because private firms are not subject to many privacy and civil-liberties laws. [Wired]

German men were being admonished to pee sitting down by a gadget called the WC ghost; when the device detects a lifted toilet seat, it says, in German: “Hey, stand peeing (”Stehpinkeln”) is not allowed here and will be punished with fines, so if you don’t want any trouble, you’d best sit down.” It was reported that the term for a man who pees sitting down, “Sitzpinkler,” is a synonym for “wimp.” [Telegraph]

Twenty-seven inmates of the county jail in Clearwater, Florida, who were released so that they could flee Hurricane Charley were still at large; 256 inmates were let out of jail but most returned in four days as instructed.

[Guardian] Edvard Munch’s The Scream was stolen by armed robbers from a crowded museum in Oslo, Norway. [Reuters]

I’ve been watching a lot of Enterprise lately, and introducing Marlo to series via the good episodes from the first season. Holy smokes does the third season seem like crap compared to episodes like “Silent Enemy” and “Dear Doctor.” It’s been especially fun to MST3K Captain Archer.

The good news is that the story arc from season 3 is over and done with and they can get back to exploring space. I’ve been reading about a 3-part story with Brent Spiner as an ancestor of Data’s creator, Dr. Soong, and it involves more leftovers from the eugenics war and klingons. I’m optimistic.

If I were to put an ad in the Georgia Straight, it would look like this:

Bass player wanted for The Darkest of the Hillside Thickets. The fewer the addictions the better. Ability to play guitar and/or drums an asset. Familiarity with Lovecraft and Thickets tunes an asset. Access to vehicle a big asset. Access to super cheap practice space in Vancouver a really big asset. Must have own monster costume. Actually that last part is a lie.

In other news the side project has stalled a big fat stall. I’ve got a drumming commitment in Norm but that’s pretty much it. I’ve considered singing for some other band that isn’t put together by me, but with all the other stuff going on in my day-to-day schedule that’s not really any more realistic.

That all sounds like bad news, doesn’t it? The fact is, it’s old news. Here’s some new news, and good news at that: things with Marlo and I are going better than I could have ever expected.