The air is much too thick for seeing but not thick enough for leaning.

• "Are you my mummy?" (courtesy hazejam)

• And another for the self-serving science collection. (courtesy sclerotic_rings, of course)

• Not that I would ever suggest this had any truth to it whatsoever.

• Apparently the neopagans were right about Christians. How annoying. (courtesy cavalorn, ihcoyc)

• Socrates, Aristotle, Thrasymachus and Alcibiades in Quentin Tarantino's Republic Dogs. (courtesy apiphile)

I need your assistance. I have house sale documents to be witnessed. According to the WA Transfer of Land Act 1893, they may be witnessed by: a notary public, an Australian consular officer (their hours are sorta inconvenient and I basically need to do this ASAP), an elected member of Parliament (ditto), a judge or magistrate, someone qualified and entitled to practice law, a doctor, a civil, electrical or mechanical engineer (?!), a school teacher, a university lecturer, the mayor of a town or city or a bank manager (not branch manager). Do any of you fit any of these (a few of you do) and are you available this weekend, though not tonight? (Note: "Please ensure your witness includes their full credentials or if available, they may include a stamp with their details.") Thank you!

Tonight redcountess and I hope to make it out to duster340's birthday drinks and dinner, if Liz doesn't melt in the heat.

I am MAN Man, the superhero with the powers of a Man. As well as grunting, farting and drinking beer, these include conducting an emergency cleaning of arkady's flat. It is now luvverly. There's floor space and everything. Arkady and I give our profuse thanks to hairyears, neonchameleon and barbedwirekiss for their hard labour on her behalf!

(Now Liz says I can't ever get out of housework at home. Bugger.)

UK ID card pledge drive.

From autopope (Charlie Stross):

'Phil Booth will refuse to register for an ID card and will donate £10 to a legal defence fund but only if 10,000 other people will also make this same pledge.'

Support them by signing up now. It'll only take a few seconds, and is free.

http://www.pledgebank.com/refuse

If you don't understand why I think resisting the government's plans for biometric ID cards are important, the No2ID campaign website should explain everything. And if you know all that but don't understand why having a legal defense fund is a good idea, you haven't thought through the Home Office plans to make refusal to register for an ID card a civil offense. Clue: £10 pledged now is cheaper than a £2500 fine in two or three years' time.

Do feel free to put this on your own journal as well.

(I expect my German readers to wonder what the fuss is about. It's because you have silly little things like constitutional protections and so forth. The UK attempt is notably hamfisted and will be an expensive disaster in all directions.)