A story has been floating around reddit today about a movement in Holland to close the famous Red Light district in Amsterdam. http://www.newsweek.com/id/109373?gt1=10856

It's not a complete outlawing of prostitution in general, more of a city buy out type situation to close a famous area of brothels. It's not a done deal since opposition to the plan is just getting started.

Now let me stop for a moment before I'm accused of misogamy, and mention that prostitution in Holland is not only legal, its well regulated. Prostitutes have no need of pimps since they can be employed above board in brothels (and indeed any employee in Holland in any industry has many rights against an employer). They have unions, trade associations and health plans.

Let me also point out that I’m not chomping at the bit to get back to A-Dam and plop down some euros for a roll in the sack. Real men don't have to pay for it.

I'm writing this because HOLLAND IS TALKING ABOUT DOING SOMETHING CONSERVATIVE. Environmentalists often tell us that when the coldest parts of the earth start to warm up its an omen that the rest of the planet is soon to follow. I'd say this is an excellent analogy.

This is one of the most hedonistic times in the history of human kind. The only wars a lot of us want are console wars. And a lot of us want nothing more then to drink whiskey and get paid to write about games. But somehow John McCain is set to win the republican nomination over Dr. Paul. Somehow, despite Senator Dodd's best efforts the telecom immunity bill just pasted. Somehow Holland is talking about doing something conservative.

How is this small cadre of conservatives around the world still getting their way despite what the rest of us want?

Today is the 74th anniversary of the end of alcohol Prohibition in the United States!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twenty-first_Amendment_to_the_United_States_Constitution

Join me in a toast to commerate this victory over the damn bible thumpers!

I'm drinking whiskey, what will you have?

Just in time for the holidays!

Aperture Science is pleased to announce its new line of power tools!

http://www.vpxsystem.com/products/

Ok, maybe not, but these certainly look like something you would see lying around the Enrichment Center!

Hi All,



As you know in Portal, once you’ve earned the complete Portal Device, GlaDOS mentions that it is now worth more then the combined incomes and organs of everyone in your home town. As a cost estimator this got me wondering what kind of number we’re talking about. So I put together an estimate using my home town which is Valdosta, Georgia. Obviously the income portion is the easiest since those numbers area available on the US Census website. Valuing organs on the other hand is much harder. Now I’m not aware of exactly when Portal takes place but I assume in my estimate that it is far enough in the future that:



1. US law has changed to allow the sale of organs for profit, either by the living or the estates of the deceased.

2. Stem cell research laws have changed and expanded the market for women to sell their eggs, making the total value of a women’s organs MUCH greater then a man’s.

3. The legalization has reduced prices of organs from what people are paying on the black market today.

So here are the numbers I came up with:

Valdosta Ga Census Data (2000)
Labor Force is 21,393 people
With a Per Capita Income of $16,472
For a Total Income Value of $352,385,496

Total Population Ages 18 and up 32,317
less Ages 65 and up (4,582)
total Eligible Population 27,735


46.3% are male, which is 12,841, each valued at $50,000 for a total of $642,065,250

53.7% are Female, which is 14,894, each valued at $150,000 for a total of $2,234,054,250

For an organ total of $2,876,119,500

So the Grand Total of all the income and organs on everyone in my hometown = $3,228,504,996 and the Hand Held Portal Device is worth even more! Wow.

I realize the organ portion of this estimate has the highest margin of error, I speculated those amounts by thinking back to the book "Next" by Michael Crichton, which is a great book, by the way!

Now I'm going to have cake.

Cheers!