(no subject)

The death penalty for Saddam Hussein. By hanging, no less.

Wow. I'm...not even sure what to say about that.

Don't get me wrong, I'm against the Death Penalty for economic reasons, which have no bearing on this particular trial as it would have been hugely expensive no matter what the outcome. I am a little surprised that he was sentenced to death, because that makes him a martyr to those who support him -- or those who don't support him but will take any opportunity to use the image of a "murdered" middle-eastern leader to further their own extremist ends.

Frankly, and this probably says something about me as a cynic, I assumed that life imprisonment would be a more exacting, humiliating, and politically expedient punishment. But I suppose one has to worry about escape attempts, prison-run terror campaigns, and the anger of three or four bloodthirsty populations on three continents.

The world is a strange place.

(no subject)

Why do we have laundromats but not dishamats?

Seriously, it sounds like a comedic question, but why aren't there at least one or two dishwashers in the bigger laundromats or something? I mean, I'm not a particularly fastidious man, but I can't ever seem to get all the grease or little food bits totally off my dishes. There's always a little bit of oil in one corner of the bowl or a bit I missed on the inside of a pot. I scrub! Copious amounts of dish soap are used!

I can understand why it'd be impractical for a family of four to do their dishes at a dishamat every day, but surely there are more than enough people who'd want to box up their plates and silverware and haul them down with the laundry every so often. I'd happily pay five dollars to have thoroughly clean dishes once a month. If we can have restaurants that serve exclusively cold cereal, I should think there's a niche market for dishamats.

This message brought to you by the enchiladas I made today.