Buy your own piece of the moon

Chat with Michelle of lunarregistry.com, where you can purchase your own plot of land on the moon. Apparently the owner of this site was on the Discovery channel where it was stated he has made millions off of this site.  

Josh Tippett of SignaCert:

 Hi!

Josh Tippett of SignaCert:

 Is this legal to buy? How do I enforce my ownership?

Call accepted by operator Michelle. Currently in room: Michelle, Josh Tippett of SignaCert.

Michelle:

 Sorry, Josh -- it's after hours, and I neglected to log off. One moment, please... Josh Tippett of SignaCert:

 Oh, sorry

Michelle:

 No problem! I was here finishing up a few details. This is perfectly legal ... in essence, you're claiming the land as your own. We're simply the registrar on your behalf. Josh Tippett of SignaCert:

 Are there any restrictions on my land? Can I put anything there?

Michelle:

 "Anything" is a fairly broad term. Specific areas are zoned for specific purposes; for example, some areas are zoned for tourism, while others are set aside for research, and others for mining and resource development.

Josh Tippett of SignaCert:

 Ah, that makes sense... my boyfriend was wondering if there are any unlisted property taxes that I would have to pay annually?

Michelle:

 There are no taxes ... at this time. In the future, property owners (and whatever form of governance the property owners/citizens set up) will be responsible for taxes and other revenue collection. We are not part of that process.

Josh Tippett of SignaCert:

 Oh, makes sense... what are the policies w/ regard to transfer of property, can I "eBay it" at an inflated price?

Michelle:

 You may transfer ownership of the property to anyone at any time, at whatever price you and the other party agree to. (You may also will the property to another person.)

Josh Tippett of SignaCert:

 Ok, do you update certificates at a cost when the transfer occurs?

Michelle:

 We do currently charge an $8 (USD) fee for processing updated documents -- if they are required. Otherwise, simply updating an ownership record is done at no charge to either party.

Josh Tippett of SignaCert:

 Ok, thanks... well that answers all of our questions. Sorry for keeping you working late. Thanks again.

Michelle:

 Never a problem! Thank you very much, and enjoy the rest of your day!

Josh Tippett of SignaCert:

 You too

I, for one, look forward to lying to my kids

Hi XXXXXX friends:

As surprised as I was when I walked into Fred Meyer last night and saw all the holiday decorations, it actually might be a good time to bring up this particular topic. I checked out a book from the public library, called The Santa Story Revisited: How to Give Your Children a Santa They Will Never Outgrow by Arita Trahan.

This book has helped me solve a personal dilemma about how and what to tell my son (now age 2) about Santa Claus. I really didn't want to lie to him but I also did not want him to feel excluded. Arita presents a great idea for how to turn Santa Claus into a game that kids of all ages can play without lying to them. Santa becomes a story about anonymous gift giving and receiving without threatening other kids who do "believe" in Santa Claus. As a consequence they don't have a moral crisis about parents lying to them because they never experience finding out who "Santa" really is. The book is 146 pages long! but for those of you who are in a hurry - the main concept is explained in pages 73-76 "The Santa Story" or in a less saccharine version on pg 9-10.

I really like the book and it's going back to the library for anyone who wants to check it out :) You can also ask me about it and I will do my best to explain.

She also has a website, but you really need the book to get the whole concept: http://www.thesantastory.com/index.htm

XXXXXX

p.s. Note that I am extremely aware and respectful of different cultural traditions and non-traditions. Not everyone celebrates Christmas. The author even has a section on her attempts to create a winter solstice celebration. This is just for your info in case anyone else was struggling with the same dilemma I was. Christmas is a very important holiday for me but as I was growing up Santa Claus was never really part of it. I am trying to raise my son in a blended family so I am doing my best to incorporate traditions from both families.

Caution

Portland man gets probation after stabbing ex-girlfriend's pet fish

By Aimee Green, The Oregonian
October 13, 2009, 1:18PM

A 27-year-old Southeast Portland man who beat his ex-girlfriend and then stabbed her pet fish and left it impaled in her apartment has been sentenced to two years of probation and a psychological evaluation.

An attorney for Donald Earl Fite III said he didn’t want to talk about the details of the assault, but that stabbing the fish was “a very low point” in his client’s life.

"He is absolutely mortified and ashamed about what he did to the fish," said attorney Tom MacNair today in Multnomah County Circuit Court.

Fite had no criminal history and declined to comment, saying only that his attorney had said it all.

According to an affidavit filed with the court, Sarah Harris had broken up with Fite, but returned to her East Burnside Street apartment in Portland last July 25 to find Fite lying on her bed. Fite wanted to get back together, but Harris didn't.

When she told him she had plans that evening, Harris refused to let her leave the room she was in, the bathroom, according to the affidavit. She tried to push past him. He threw her against a wall. She again tried to leave, punching him in the nose to get by. He grabbed her by the hair and threw her against the bathtub – ripping out her hair extensions and causing her to hit her head.

She escaped and called 9-1-1 from a pay phone. When she returned with an officer, she discovered her fish, a brilliant purple betta named DeLorean, had been impaled on her wood floor. It still had a knife sticking through it.

"I started crying hysterically," said Harris, who didn't attend the hearing but spoke with The Oregonian by phone.

"Donald bought the fish for me, and I'm sure he knew how much I cared for it."

Fite admitted to police that he killed the betta, saying, "If she can't have me, then she can't have the fish."

Fite pleaded guilty to first-degree animal abuse and fourth-degree domestic-violence assault. In addition to probation and a mental-health evaluation, he must work 80 hours of community service, pay $617 in fines and fees and stay away from Harris.

Deputy district attorney Eric Zimmerman told Judge Eric Bergstrom that the victim had requested restitution for an unusual reason – she wanted Fite to pay for a memorial tattoo she plans to get of the fish. The judge declined to order Fite to pay for the tattoo.

The judge also decided against banning Fite from having contact with fish, saying the stabbing was probably a one-time incident.

Fite misinterpreted what the judge had said, and appeared upset. "What? I'm not allowed to walk into a pet store?"

The judge repeated himself, to Fite's relief. "I'm not imposing that condition," Bergstrom said.

-- Aimee Green

Snow Day in Portland

Fun snow day movie.

Fail

failblog.org

I found a surprisingly high percentage of these hilarious.

700 hobo names

John Hodgman has a new book, in which, presumably among other things, he has a list of 700 hobo names. Rather than a take off on the Eskimo's 200 words for snow, which was the idea that originally popped into my head, this is a list of names Hodgeman made up for fictitious transients.

Some clever internet person thought it would be a wonderful idea to put up a site to display cartoonists drawings to match each name. Find it at e-hobo.com.

I was altered to this list by my co-worker Chris who heard Hodgman being interviewed on Twit. Chris claimed making such a list was about the stupidest thing he had heard of (at least in the most recent 24 hours) and there was no way such a list would be entertaining. He linked me with an mp3 of Hodgeman reading the list.

We spend the next tens of work minutes sending links to each other and guffawing.

My favorite was "Oregon Perry Hashpipe."