Metabolic Depression

Well, most everyone is back at work today and my blogging friends seem to be back at it after a long weekend of family and food.  I'm not anywhere NEAR completing my Daily Rounds but that's about par for the course at this time o' year.  We do tend to sleep in during winter, but it has nothing to do with bear-like tendencies.  I did get a slight grin out of this, though:

Hibernation is a state of inactivity and metabolic depression in animals, characterized by lower body temperature, slower breathing, and lower metabolic rate.

Animal?  Check.  Just ask either of my ex-es, neither of whom live in Texas.  State of inactivity?  Check.  I don't "do" cold.  Lower body temperature?  Well, yeah.  My feet are often freezing.  Again, ask any of my ex-es.  We could go on, but ya get the point, I'm sure.  And then there's the depression, but it ain't of the metabolic sort.  The holidays are the worst time o' year for me... but that hasn't really kicked in yet.  Give me three or four trips out into the world to be exposed to non-stop Christmas Muzak every-freakin'-where and that'll do it.  I can't wait.

―:☺:― 

Speakin' of Christmas, there's this:

Kinda appropriate for Cyber Monday, innit?  Someone always comes up with a piece on this subject about this time o' year, be it visual or written.  Most of us don't need to be reminded of "the reason for the season" but ya wouldn't know it if you're simply a casual observer of the American Scene (for lack o' a better term).

―:☺:―

The BIG news o' the day is the latest malicious brain-fart from one Julian Assange, the asshat who runs WikiLeaks.  And I mean big -- click the memeorandum screen shot (taken at 1100 hrs) at right for larger; and that ain't nearly all of it.  I spent a lot o' time at various sites last evening reading excerpts of the leaks and some complete cables, of which there are more than a few.

I think Mr. Assange should thank his lucky stars we're not living in the 1950s and '60s when the CIA still ran assassination programs.  That said, the leak is attributed to a US Army private by the name of Bradley Manning.  IF this is true, and IF a court-martial convicts Private Manning, then he should face a firing squad.  His actions amount to nothing less than treason and treason during time of war is a capital crime.  It's too bad we can't kill him twice.  

But back to Mr. Assange. One would hope there's a serious and lethal accident looming in his future... a horrendous car crash, a premature heart attack, or an untimely fall from a 25th floor window. With love, from our friends at Langley.

One final note and then we'll go.  If you're on Twitter and are interested in this subject follow Blake Hounshell.  Mr. Hounshell is the managing editor of Foreign Policy magazine and his tweets have interesting links and observations... it's stuff you might not find elsewhere.