In the UK, a pet owner has put her neurotic and jealous parrot on anti-depressants. Here’s the story.

The story comes from a Chinese newspaper’s website. While I’m confident that Western papers would run this too, I can’t help wondering what the Chinese think about this.  Perhaps this:  “Is this where all our money went?” And then, “Who’s stupider? Them, for squandering it, or us for lending it?”

Me, while watching “Battlestar Galactica” tonight:

“Hm.  They’re giving this character a lot of play. Why? She’s got nothing to do with anything going on with this show any more. Why is she even in this scene? Here she is again. I guess she dies tonight.”

Five to ten minutes later:

“No wonder my kids think I’m psychic.”

I’ve talked here before about my love of the radio station Indie 103.1 FM. It’s the sort of radio station that you hear used to exist, one where deejays play what they like. In this particular case, that means shows run by people like Steve Jones, guitarist for the Sex Pistols. That alone says “indie.”

Indie was founded probably five years ago at this point, and sure enough, it was too good to last. They’re not dead, but they’ve moved online. Why? Because the powers-that-be wanted them to play Britney Spears or somesuch.

Here’s the station’s new internet URL, and here’s their farewell-to-broadcasting message.

Indie Activist:

This is an important message for the Indie 103.1 Radio Audience –

Indie 103.1 will cease broadcasting over this frequency effective immediately. Because of changes in the radio industry and the way radio audiences are measured, stations in this market are being forced to play too much Britney, Puffy and alternative music that is neither new nor cutting edge. Due to these challenges, Indie 103.1 was recently faced with only one option — to play the corporate radio game.

We have decided not to play that game any longer. Rather than changing the sound, spirit, and soul of what has made Indie 103.1 great Indie 103.1 will bid farewell to the terrestrial airwaves and take an alternative course.

This could only be done on the Internet, a place where rules do not apply and where new music thrives; be it grunge, punk, or alternative – simply put, only the best music.

For those of you with a computer at home or at work, log on to www.indie1031.com and listen to the new Indie 103.1 – which is really the old Indie 103.1, not the version of Indie 103.1 we are removing from the broadcast airwaves.

We thank our listeners and advertisers for their support of the greatest radio station ever conceived, and look forward to continuing to deliver the famed Indie 103.1 music and spirit over the Internet to passionate music listeners around the world.

Massachusetts has essentially adopted Amsterdam’s marijuana policy:  not exactly legal, but not prosecuted. (Add “and definitely taxed” and you’ll have the Amsterdam policy.)

Just three days ago at that Democratic conclave I was advocating legalizing — and taxing — marijuana. My thinking:  With a $42 billion (with a “b”) budget deficit in this state, we need the revenue. And I think I’d sooner take my chances with someone holding a joint, which is illegal, than someone holding an assault rifle (which, naturally, is legal).

Slate does us the service of providing the Top 25 Bushisms of All Time.  Number 3 is the one we kept on our refrigerator for many moons: “Rarely is the question asked: Is our children learning?” That one sums it all up.

Last week I embedded this video of a young lady with a forked tongue. All over town, I’ve gotten responses to that. Now I know exactly who among my friends and acquaintances reads my blog, because they greet me this way: “Oh my God, that video!” Tonight I found out that my teenage son’s entire class watched it today in school. I’m glad to shape the hearts and minds of our future leaders, but maybe not like this.

That video shows the young woman demonstrating her adroit facility with a forked tongue, which no doubt leaves lingering images in male minds. But everyone has speculated over what the surgery necessary for acquiring a forked tongue might be like. Well, speculate no longer: Here it is. Warning: I’m not embedding it because it’s not for the faint of heart, and not just because the soundtrack is by Nickleback. You’ve been warned.

And now I think I’d like to leave this topic for good. But not before adding that while I’m in favor of universal health care, this video reminds me that some things are better left out of the universe.

Yesterday I was re-elected to the California Assembly District 43 delegation to the state Democratic Party. Here’s the story from the Glendale News-Press (it’s also in the Burbank Leader).

I was also elected to the executive board, which means that in addition to attending the annual state convention as a delegate, I’ll be attending quarterly executive board meetings. Which means it’s my role in those meetings to represent the hopes and frustrations of Democrats in Burbank, Glendale, North Hollywood, Valley Village, Silver Lake, Valley Glen, and part of Van Nuys. It also means that for at least four weekends a year for two years I’ll be staying in hotels somewhere in the state while attending these meetings.

It was an honor to be elected and I’m looking forward to serving and I’m very grateful to all the people who voted for me. At the same time, I couldn’t help noting the comment of the outgoing executive board member I’m replacing: “Now you can spend between $3000 and $5000 a year doing this.”

I guess there is a price we pay for Democracy.

LA Weekly Theatre Editor Steven Leigh Morris has been removed from his position after 20 years. That’s because, now, there is no such position. The LA Weekly, which serves a town with 2000 stage premieres a year, now has no theatre editor.

This should not come as a shock, because the paper is owned by the same syndicate that owns the Village Voice, where it also recently limited the position of Theatre Editor. The Village Voice, it should be noted, is in that little theatre town known as New York City.

The loss of this position is a tragedy for everyone in LA who cares about the theatre. I haven’t always agreed with Steven’s tastes, but I have enormous regard for him as an intellect and a fiercely articulate champion of the notion that theatre is an essential endeavor that restores us to the root of the human experience.

There are theatre critics galore — we now call them bloggers — but almost all lack his wit and, importantly, the cachet of an important editorial perch. Once almost 15 years ago, I called Steven to politely say that I thought we had a great show at Moving Arts, and that his reviewer honestly had missed the point. I asked Steven if he would please come see for himself — and he did. Immediately after the performance he pulled me aside and said that his reviewer had indeed missed the point, and he followed this up by running a feature the following week about the play. A respected, well-informed theatre editor is capable of representing theatre in this way, and making judgment calls. Now, without an editor, whom would one turn to?

In my 20 years of theatre experience in this town, Steven has been our foremost ombudsman. Over time every time I made a request — to sit on a panel, or to please write a piece for LA Stage magazine, or to serve as a judge for the USC one-act festival I was producing — the answer was yes. That was just from me; imagine all the other invitations and solicitations he agreed to. He has been tireless in supporting the artform and helping to succor a community that desperately needed it. This is a devastating loss for all of us.

Now what?