The Show Must Go On!

It's a ritual that's been performed for millenia.

The mental condition that made you decide to hurt our life liberty and happiness does not let you off the hook

The state prosecuter was careful to dot I's and cross T's.

The governor (and the Supreme Court)respect the authority of the state court system.

Public consensus says...
We'd like to see you dead.

Oh, and there is a 100% chance that you're guily (not 99.99%)

You've gotten more attention than the average felon

And manage to cost more dead than to stay in prison for another 40 years.

While we no longer have public ceremonies, we make it up with media hype and the standard rituals:

Last Meal
Last Rites
Last Words
Last Breath
Last Heartbeat

Many states have outlawed formal, legal executions such as that which will be happening to our local sniper in a few minutes. Some more states have so throughly restricted it so that there's an insurmountable amount of red tape to hurdle, there's Texas Law. Or Virginia in this case.

The individual trials were spread among 3 governing bodies:
The trial happened in DC: We can't execute you.
The trial happened in Maryland: Now what if that aforementioned condition mitigated that thing you did? Did we catch you on tape? Is there DNA evidence? Now someone else could be framing you?...
So, the trial was focused in Virginia: It'd be an honor to continue this fine tradition.

Where have all the dollars gone?

Oh (boy), (Little Brother), I saw someone with an old $20 bill today. Not just the old black and white one, but the really old one. It made me really sad. [Oh, Atticus, did you do anything?] In fact I did. I asked the person to save it for me, and she gave it to me. [What?] Yes she did. I started to did through my wallet to scrupple enough change to make equal. I would have given that 1999 $5 bill away for it. She said "Don't worry about it. Keep your savings for college".

I have managed to collect every series bill in denomination of $1, $2, $5, $10, and even $50 from 1995. But why not $20? There's a reason: The two $50 bills were given as gifts for Little Brother and I for Christmas when Santa decided that I should start saving money. Those lower denominations were easy to pull from the wallet over the years, even the $10 on occasion. But as for the $20, there were emergency milk runs, "Hey, that's my Jackson", and other personal necessities that kept them from being saved. Well, I hope we saved this one from soon destruction by the Federal Bank.

There's a red seal $5 that's a family heirloom.
Disclaimer: The generous person who gave me the $20 was mommy.

The Vienna Quarterly Coin Show is going on tomorrow.

Spoof Alert

The Silver Spring/ Takoma Park MVA has started offering online road tests. The videogame format did not conform to state standards, said Ms. Fay Liu, who developed this new way of 'skipping the trip'. It's easy: all you do is have a friend film you while driving, and upload it to the website when you're done. The instruction sheet informs test-takers to announce what action they're making, so that the voice analysis system can grade the test. If you fail, you can make an online appeal to have the film reviewed by a make-work program participant.

Activists have applauded the move, saying that while banning new drivers altogether would be more effective in reducing global warming, the reduction of an oft-hated carbon-spewing trip is a step in the right direction. Why did Ms. Fay Liu come up with such a great idea. "Because I really don't like Ms. Bumper. I'd like to see her transferred to Gaithiersburg and deal with complaining customers there".

Ms. Fay Liu added that test-takers should eschew putting on makeup, excessive giggling, drinking from those big party cups, and excessive eyeballing of the camera. "Look, you just saved like 2 hours. You'll have time to do all that... at home". MVA officials have asked local videoediting shops to not edit the test films. "As for geeks who can do it by themselves, I mean, if they can fix a Mac, I'm pretty sure they'll be able to use a car", said Bubba "Babbling" Brook, a state legislator. "We might, though, consider putting a make-worker in each testing car to verify honesty. If they are incapable of knowing wrong from right, at least their extra weight will add another complication to the process of acquiring a motor vehicle operating licence".

Carry Me Back

We don't pay enough attention to Virginia politics here, but since it's such an important day in Old Virginny, we had to cover this story.

Virginia and New Jersey hold their governal elections on off-year 1, that is, 1 year after presidentials. From surveys, it seems that the Republican candidates are going to win, altough liberal media sources are not willing to accept that.

So this is exactly how republicans win in red states: An unpopular democrat runs for reelection. He/she wins the party primary, hence the battle, but loses in the war*.

This is the case in New Jersy, but in Virginia, there are no second terms, so change of party in power is the way the cookie crumbles.

McDonough- hurt by ultra-conservative Master's thesis- Republican
Deeds- hurt by running smear campaign- Democrat

*I made a prediction a while back that this is what is going to happen in Maryland in 2010. Let's see what happens.

DST Horror

My cell phone was still an hour ahead at 8:26am. I fiddled with the buttions to no avail. But sometime during the day, it switched itself to the proper time. Now this extra hour we got yesterday was put to good use by wasted revellers, either still singing sin, drinking gin, or on the street, or in bed. But I was eager to get my math homework done. The day went on as normal. Sort of. An open house at school (the 50% of the student body who showed up still have yet to learn of their reward), an ensemble.

But with this new change in daylight savings time, there are a few problems (or as some say, concerns): Pitch black at 7am on Oct 31, the change time check battery mantra: is it anywhere near 6 months anymore? Loss of synchronocity with Arizona most of the year (they don't do DST).

And since I was up so many hours yesterday, I was real ready for bed at 10pm.

Happy Halloween

Everyone just gather at the intersection of Wisconsin and M. That's right. One night in a long while and it seems that there is something big going on. Something that I am missing out on. There was a constant flow of people coming across the bridge, and an occasional hoot and holler. Now what is rare is the sight of students younger than college age; high school and middle school. Now I know that such types mingle in Georgetown, based on anecdoptal evidence from schoolmates, but I hardly cross paths with them. I was at the library at 6pm. I was quite surprised at the large gathering of studious students. But while I engrossed myself in work, they dissappeared. Keep stdying hard, said the last person to leave. I looked around. No, I was the last person left in the library at 7:45pm.

Reconstructing the Scene

A person was hit by a bus on Riggs Road near North Capitol Street. The person must have not made it or been hurt real bad because the ambulance was there and gone in 5 minutes. At nearby Ft. Totten Transit Center, gap buses were placed in service to alleviate major delays in the area.

Another account:

Multiple cars involved with multiple serious injuries at Riggs Road and North Capitol Street. Big Mess.