Happy thanksgiving day ..unless you're a turkey. It was supposed to snow a little last night and today, but that never eventuated - at least not so far. The weather (wind) let up enough for the Macy's big balloon parade to go ahead in Manhattan this morning, so that's all good.

I think we're supposed to go out with IceQueen's parents for dinner, although that may or may not still be happening - IceQueen cut her thumb quite badly late last night while slicing some bread - it was bleeding a fair bit and the cut looked to be pretty deep, although not too big lengthwise, fortunately. I bandaged her up and stopped the bleeding, but we may go into the local hospital emergency rooms today anyway in case it requires a stitch or two. I'm already planning what to take, as on a normal day you can spend 6 hours or more in their waiting rooms, so gawd only knows what it will be like on a public holiday when most private practitioners are closed.

Anyway, thanks to Thanksgiving, I have today and Friday off, so it'll be nice to take a breather ..although I have a couple of exams next week and some big projects to do, so I'll be studying most of the long weekend regardless. Hope you have a good day!

The last few weeks have been pretty full-on with study - there's been at least one exam every single week, and they have all counted towards my final grade in each subject. I'm doing 17 credits in total this semester, as well as two honors projects on top, so it's a full workload (usually the maximum they let you do in a single semester is 18 credits - 12 credits being considered a full time course of study). It doesn't look like things are going to slow down at all until my finals are over in late December - I know I have at least one exam next week, and regardless of that, the last few weeks of a semester are often the busiest because professors suddenly realize how little time is left and how much they have yet to cover, so suddenly the workload doubles just when students need time the most for study towards the finals. I'm not complaining by the way - it's certainly better than sitting on my arse doing nothing, and it'll most definitely be worth it in the end. My results so far this semester have all been between 90 and 100%, so I'm happy with that - should get straight A's again this semester as long as I don't slack off, and I'll be on the Dean's List too (which is a good thing apparently).

Amber stayed with my Mum in Auckland a few weeks back, so I was able to spend heaps of time on the phone with her which was awesome. Mum sent me a couple of photos of Amber too - wow I can't believe how much she has grown - and she certainly looks older than her 11 years too! When I have more time I will put some photos up on the site - I still haven't had time to redo the photo area since I redesigned the site a while back ..maybe after exams are over? Amber is doing really well - she's won all sorts of trophys and awards for her dancing, and got the top marks with honors too in her jazz-ballet exam recently - awesome. Amber is also surfing a lot and doing well at school too. I'm really proud of her. I miss Amber heaps.

Ok better go - it's Saturday and I have a heap of study and project work to do by Monday, and the other Weasel wants an egg for breakfast *giggle*. Cheers.

Yes, it's one of those lame quiz things. I was trying to study but the neighboring apartment is playing rap music just loud enough to blow my concentration, and somewhere else a stupid little yappy dog has just started yapping away at gawd knows what, so I'm taking a break. I actually stumbled across this quiz on some blog a few days back but I got busy and didn't manage to post the entry. Whatever, here's my result.

You scored as William Wallace.

The great Scottish warrior William Wallace led his people against their English oppressors in a campaign that won independence for Scotland and immortalized him in the hearts of his countrymen. With his warrior's heart, tactician's mind, and poet's soul, Wallace was a brilliant leader. He just wanted to live a simple life on his farm, but he gave it up to help his country in its time of need.

Yeah, sounds about right. heh.

I was almost Zorro, but the quiz asked me an extra question at the end to decide it. Here's how my scoring went:

William Wallace (67%), El Zorro (67%), Indiana Jones (63%), Lara Croft (58%), The Terminator (54%), Captain Jack Sparrow (50%), Maximus (50%), Neo, the "One" (50%), The Amazing Spider-Man (38%), James Bond, Agent 007 (33%), Batman, the Dark Knight (33%).

Click here to try out the quiz.

John from John P Hoke's Asylum tagged me with this little meme a couple of weeks ago, so I thought I'd better take a stab at it and see how it turns out. If you're a blogger, feel free to have a thrash at it yourself (and send a trackback ping if you do).

(1) If you were to die this evening with no opportunity to communicate with anyone, what would you most regret not having told someone?
Hmm that's a bit of a tough one to start out with. Ice and I tell each other how much we care for one another on a daily basis. I guess I'd just want those who don't hear it from me often enough to know that I love and care for them - Amber in particular, and my immediate family in NZ too.

(2) If a new medicine were developed that would cure arthritis but cause a fatal reaction in 1 percent of those who took it, would you want it to be released to the public?
I realize 1% sounds like nothing, but I checked this out at the arthritis foundation and found in the US alone there are over 60 million arthritis sufferers. A 1% fatality rate would therefore equate to 600,000 deaths, and that is not acceptable. Perhaps for the most severe cases I would maybe consider it, but not without ensuring the patient is fully aware of the risks, that their family is supporting them, and even then perhaps recommend psychological evaluation first as well.

(3) If you were able to live to the age of 90 and could choose between retaining either the body or the mind of a 30 year old for the last 60 years of your life, which would you want?
If my family history on both sides is anything to go by, I'll still be sharp as a tack at 90 regardless, so perhaps I'd go for the 30-year-old body - it certainly would be great to keep surfing into my 90's and not have my body hold me back, particularly when I'll presumably be retired and have the time available to go for it. Besides, there's plenty of 30-year-olds wandering around today that aren't playing with a full deck anyway. heh.

(4) If at birth you could select the profession your child would eventually pursue, would you?
No friggin way. I sure wouldn't want to be forced into that sitiuation myself, so why would I want to do that to someone else, particularly my own child? Of course I would want to guide them in making informed and intelligent choices in life, but ultimately it is their life to do with as they see fit.

(5) If you knew there would be a nuclear war in 1 week, what would do? (you can't stop it)
If it was going to be global annihilation without doubt, then I'd want to be with those I love, and enjoy the little time remaining together ..and also probably go bungy jumping (because that is such a rush!), try hang-gliding, catch some waves, just experience as much as possible together before moving on. If there was a possibility of survival, I'd be heading to a remote location with those I care about and preparing for a tough future.

(6) Would you accept twenty years of extraordinary happiness and fulfillment if it meant you had to die at the end of the period?
How happy could you be knowing exactly when you're going to die and not be able to do anything about it? I think I'd prefer to take my chances thanks. Anyway, I'm happy with my IceQueen - why limit that to 20 years? If you asked me this question on my 100th birthday I'd likely consider it a little more closely though.

(7) If the person you were engaged to marry had an accident and became a paraplegic, would you go through with the marriage or back out of it?
If I could even consider backing out, then I would not be with the right person in the first place, regardless of their mobility. Translation: of course I'd stay with them! This answer is also presuming that they would still want to be with me too. heh.

(8) Someone very close to you is in pain, paralyzed, and will die in a month. They beg you to give them poison so they that they can die. Would you?
Ouch. Hmm.. although if they're paralyzed, they wouldn't be in pain, would they? Although assisting them in death may be the merciful thing to do in some aspects, I could not do it if there was even the most remote hope of survival, and there is always hope imho - without hope, you might as well just curl up and die right now.

(9) Given the choice of anyone in the world, who would you want as your dinner guest? as a close friend? as a lover?
As a dinner guest.. maybe Ghandi, if he were still alive, and Freud would be interesting, or Einstein. If it must be a living person, then probably the Dalai Lama. Better yet, an alien (a friendly one though). As a close friend and as a lover - I already have her - IceQueen. Duh.

(10) What is the worst psychological torture you can imagine suffering? (it cannot involve any physical harm to you)?
Probably being made to believe that Ice or Amber and someone very close to me were being harmed in some way. I'd go completely psycho at those responsible. Hell hath no fury like a weasel on a rampage. hehe.

(11) You and a person you love deeply are placed in separate rooms with a button next to each of you. You know that you will both be killed unless one of you presses the button before 60 minutes pass; furthermore, the first to press the button will save the other person, but will immediately be killed. What do you think you would do?
Immediately press the button to save the other person. No hesitation. This is assuming there is absolutely no possibility of escape or rescue ..which means it's true then - assumption is a dangerous thing.

(12) Would you be willing to go to a slaughterhouse and kill a cow?
For survival where there's no alternative food source? Yes. Just for kicks? Hell no.

(13) For $20,000 would you go for 3 months without washing, brushing your teeth, and using deodorant? Assume you could not explain your reasons to anyone, and there would be no long-term effect on your career. You are not choosing one option here - you would have to go without all three.
Yeah I'd go for it. Of course I'd be on holiday the entire time and out in the water surfing every day, so it wouldn't be much of an issue for the most part.

(14) Which of these restrictions could you best tolerate: leaving the country permanently, or never leaving the state in which you now live?
Hell yeah I'd leave the country - I don't like NYC all that much (although it's nicer up north away from the city), but I would certainly choose to live back in New Zealand above spending the rest of my life stuck in NYC. Stupid question.

(15) If you could choose both the gender and the physical appearance of your soon-to-be-born child, would you do it?
Nope. The only way I'd really consider messing with genetics like that is if it could safely eradicate an inherited predisposition to terminal illnesses such as cancer. Also keep in mind that beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Fellow blogger deadscot made a good point too - how many teenagers are happy with the way they look anyway?

(16) Would you be willing to decrease your life expectancy by 5 years if you could become extremely attractive?
No thanks. Hell, if I were that desperate, I'd still keep my 5 years - there's always plastic surgery ..just look what it did for Michael Jackson. *stare*

(17) If your friends and acquaintances were willing to bluntly tell you what they really think of you, would you want them to?
Most definitely, and I hope they do already.

(18) Would it disturb you much if, upon your death, your body were simply thrown into the woods and left to rot?
Well that's charming. It probably would disturb me if I knew before I died that my body would end up dumped in a forest and left to rot. Once I've moved on I guess it wouldn't matter - although it would hurt those left behind that care about me. I think.

(19) Would you like to know the precise date of your death?
No thanks, not a lot of fun in that.

(20) Would you be willing to give up all television for the next 5 years if it would induce someone to provide for 1,000 starving children in Indonesia?
Sure, no biggie - I've got internet.

Wow what a marathon that turned out to be.

I read this story on the Chicago Sun Times website about three months ago and bookmarked it, fully intending to blog about it later the same day ..of course fate had different plans, time sped past, and just now I 'rediscovered' the bookmark and am actually writing about it, so here's the story - a stunning example of ridiculous absurdity in the US justice system. Best you sit down for this one - it's phenomenal in its obtuseness.

He said, She said:

• Mr Fitzroy Barnaby said he had to swerve to avoid hitting the 14-year-old Des Plaines girl who walked in front of his car.
• She said he yelled, "Come here, little girl," before getting out of his car and grabbing her by the arm.
• He said he simply lectured her [for running out into traffic without looking].
• She said she broke free and ran, fearful of what he'd do next.

As a result of this 'altercation', Mr Barnaby is now a registered sex offender.

*stunned silence*

Yes, it's true - the Appellate Court of Illinois said the 28-year-old Evanston man must register as a sex offender. While acknowledging it might be unfair for Barnaby to suffer the stigmatization of being labeled a sex offender when his crime was not sexually motivated, the court said his actions are the type that are "often a precursor" to a child being abducted or molested.

"Unfair"?!? Well there's the understatement of the year! "His actions are the type that are often a precursor to a child being abducted or molested"? Give me a freaking break! I'd confidently say that 99.9% of adults out there who have had to deal with children on a regular basis have had to, at some stage, hold the child by the arm or shoulders and look them in the eye and give them a stern reprimand for doing something very stupid in order for the seriousness of their actions to sink in. How the hell do you think they learn things like how important it is not to cross the road without looking? So are they ALL sex offenders too? Of course not, unless they happen to end up in court over it.

But wait, we're not done yet. The court system considered being even more stupid:

Though Barnaby was acquitted of attempted kidnapping and child abduction charges stemming from the November 2002 incident, he was convicted of unlawful restraint of a minor -- which is a sex offense.

OMFG can you believe that? Attempted kidnapping and child abduction charges? Holy crap are they completely insane? As a result of the sex offender conviction, Mr Barnaby will have to tell local police where he lives and won't be able to live near a park or school. His picture will be published on the internet and all his neighbors notified that they have a sex offender living in the area. Of course in the interests of privacy, the authorities won't advise the neighborhood what he actually did to deserve this conviction. How considerate of them.

"This is the most stupid ruling the appellate court has rendered in years," said Barnaby's Chicago attorney, Frederick Cohn. "If you see a 15-year-old beating up your 8-year-old and you grab that kid's hand to stop them and are found guilty of unlawful restraint, do you now have to register as a sex offender?"

Apparently, yes.

Cook County state's attorney spokesman Tom Stanton said Barnaby should have to register "because of the proclivity of offenders who restrain children to also commit sex acts or other crimes against them."

I see, so everyone who restrains a child for whatever reason must be a sex offender then. I'd like to know if Tom Stanton has children. If so, I can bet he's restrained them on many occasions for various reasons - be it for their own safety, to reprimand them, or just in play - I guess that makes Mr Tom Stanton a repeat sex offender and pedophile too, huh? Better lock him up and throw away the key! Seriously, let's follow their logic for a moment. Walking into a local bank is "often a precursor" to bank robbery. Having a glass of wine is "often a precursor" to drunk driving and manslaughter. Aspirin is a drug, and drugs are "often a precursor" to violent crime and murder. Yup, think we better all just stop breathing while we're at it, because rapists breathe air too, so breathing's "often a precursor" to rape. Rampant stupidity.

In the criminal case against him, Cook County Judge Patrick Morse said that "it's more likely than not" Barnaby planned only "to chastise the girl" when he grabbed her, but "I can't read his mind."

So what the hell happened to innocent until proven guilty then, you freaking nimrod? It's blatantly obvious there was no intention of anything sinister here, and if you're basing your judgment on not being able to read the accused's mind, then you have to assume he is innocent, not guilty, fool. How the hell do people like this become judges in the first place?

And now for the kicker:

Recognizing the stigma that comes with being labeled as a sex offender, the appellate court said "it is Barnaby's actions which have caused him to be stigmatized, not the courts."

You arrogant pricks - how about that stupid little girl's actions huh? She is the one who ran in front of the car - it was her actions that led to this altercation, not Mr Barnaby's. The ruling suggests premeditation - which it most certainly wasn't. Damn how stupid can you get? No wonder people skip bail before getting a hearing - who can blame them when they see stories like this happening in the courts? Hell, I doubt I'd want to stick around and trust the justice system if I was being taken to court for something I didn't do.

The only victim here is Mr Barnaby, and I hope he successfully appeals and then sues the crap out of the justice system for this obvious miscarriage of justice. Unfortunately if that were to happen, it would be the taxpayers who ultimately end up paying for the stupidity of the court. I think it would be more effective if the judge and prosecution were heavily fined in a case like this - might make them actually use their brains for a change when making rulings in the future - accountability can make a world of difference.

The moral in all this? Well, in Mr Barnaby's case, he'll know better next time - just run her the f*ck over, and after that, heck, he could press charges against the girl - I'm not joking either.

Did you know that if you see someone being attacked and you intervene to save the victim, you can end up in jail on assault charges against the attacker, since they did not attack you. It's true. Ridiculous - that just encourages criminal activity and discourages social responsibility. Explains a lot really.