China released the “Stainless Steel Mouse” and two other Internet essayists who were detained a year ago for criticizing the government. Stainless Steel Mouse, (the moniker used by Liu Di) is a 23 year old college student in Beijing whose arrest on subversion charges had attracted international attention.

Although the Chinese authorities said she’d be charged with crimes relating to ‘illegal organizations’, no arrest documents were ever issued. Nor was she allowed visits from her family.

CNN Reports that at least a dozen other dissidents who have posted “anti-government” articles on the Web remain incarcerated.

After reading this it really makes me realize how we really do have it good in North America.

I am finished one of my two new media flash assignments. Anna-Maria said of all the flash stuff she has seen me make she liked it the best – that was before it even had sound! However, don’t get your hopes too high, it’s cool but not my best ever.

I’m heading down to Utah in aproximately 10 more days, then after some great fun and partying it’s off to California for more great fun and partying! I’m really excited.

Anna-Maria, it looks like, won’t be leaving for Utah until Sunday. I wish she were still here, but alas, such is life.

Apparently I broke 6 years of tradition tonight. Last year at the Horns Christmas Gift exchange I was “lucky” enough to have received a really ugly doll that has been passed along for years each Christmas. Tonight I missed the party because I had to work and therefore the doll never made it back into circulation. I guess there’s always next year.

Via Slashdot:

Fortune Magazine published a fairly long but tremendously interesting article about Google. “Instead of the usual exultation over PageRank algorithm and Larry-and-Sergey biographies, we get a different message – is Google growing up, and is trouble brewing at Google? Here’s Fortune’s description of the pre-IPO days: ‘Google has grown arrogant, making some of its executives as frustrating to deal with in negotiations as AOL’s cowboy salesmen during the bubble. It has grown so fast that employees and business partners are often confused about who does what. A rise of stock- and option-stoked greed is creating rifts within the company. Employees carp that Google is morphing in strange and nerve-racking ways.”

From MeFi:

Dahlia Lithwick has an interesting article on Slate commenting on the real threats to marriage in light of Massachusetts Supreme Court’s declaration that same-sex marriage is protected by the Constitution. Lithwick lists:

1. Divorce (~43-50% of all US marriages end in divorce)

2. Frivolous marriages (i.e. it is easier to get married than it is to drive a car, buy a gun, buy alcohol, etc.)

3. Birth control (is marriage “only for procreation”?)

4. The various challenges to our time and attention that take away from quality time with our spouses

The other day I told my sister, Jackie, that I was an unofficial vegetarian. Basically I meant that while I don’t usually eat very much meat, I am not opposed to it completely. Today I discovered a new term to describe my situation. I am a flexitarian.

flexitarian

(fleks.uh.TAYR.ee.un) n. A person who eats a mostly vegetarian diet, but who is also willing to eat meat or fish occasionally. —adj. (Flexible + vegetarian.)

Check out http://www.fashioncompassion.com/.

Anna is going to be leaving for Utah soon. I actually don’t know how long she will stay in Lethbridge before she actually leaves. School is almost done for me – and frankly I should be getting my last assignments done right now instead of writing on this blog. Anyway assuming I can find someone to cover me at work I will be leaving on about the 9th or 10th of December. I’m driving down to Utah, hanging out with Anna and her family for a couple of days and then… it’s off to Disneyland. I’m so – SO excited. REALLY.

Anna bought us 5 day hopper passes which for those of you that don’t know, means that we can go to either of the 2 parks as much as we want for 5 great days. Disneyland is just so much fun.

My cousin JP said we could stay at his place, so we’ll likely be staying there for the duration. I am still wondering if we should take in the sites at Universal and perhaps spend a day or two at the beach. California is so fun.

Anna’s last play goes down at 1:45pm today and then she’s on the bus back to good ol’ Alberta. Because the greyhound doesn’t leave Medicine Hat for Lethbridge until early tomorrow morning, I’m heading back to the Hat to pick her up. I’m more than just a little excited.