The Last Friday News Chum of the Year

Well, it’s the last Friday of the year, and you know what that means by now: it’s time for the last Friday news chum of the year. Here are some articles that caught my eye. I hope you find them interesting as well:

• Sex is now Legal. OK, let me explain. A while back, I mentioned a story about artificial insemination. It turned out that if a couple had a friend donate the sperm on the side, they were violating the law on artificial insemination. On the other hand, if actual insertion took place (i.e., fucking), it was perfectly legal as long as it was consensual). Doesn’t make sense, does it. This was actually a big deal for gay couples that want to have children. I’m pleased to report that recent legislation has made things a little better, but not perfect. Of course, it still doesn’t nothing for those being bugged for grandchildren. But then again, there’s a solution for that (h/t andrewducker).
• Music in the Air. You probably think it is a royal pain to fly these days. But it could be worse. You could be lugging around an expensive musical instrument so large it requires its own seat. The TSA and tightened space and rules on plane have made traveling a royal pain for those bringing cellos and other such beasts with them. This ranges from TSA destroying instruments while inspecting them, to airlines refusing them seats they have paid for. Interesting read.
• Go Visit Your Grandparents. Earlier this week, I wrote an article about dealing with an elder who is increasingly nasty and losing it. You did read it, didn’t you? This elder’s behavior is making her family not want to deal with her. Good thing we’re not in China. China just instituted a new policy requiring people to visit their grandparents regularly. If they don’t, they can be sued by the elderly parents.
• Old Transportation. A few items related to old transportation systems…. (1) SF Muni: First, the San Francisco Municipal Railway is celebrating 100 years. Reading the article, what struck me is that what allowed Muni to survive as a street railway was the fact that it was city owned, combined with the quirky nature of San Francisco and the nature of the infrastructure. This is why rail systems expanded and grew in other cities as well. In Los Angeles, the first rail system failed because it was primarily privately owned, and by the time municipal ownership came into the picture, the rail portion was too far gone to recover. (2) Vintage Plates. The DMV has started making vintage plates from the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s available for pre-order. I grew up with the black plates; it would be nice to see them again. Never liked the yellow on blue; they make me think of a number of bad cars I drove growing up. (3) Old Fantasy Transportation. Gerry Anderson has died. He was the creator of the Thunderbirds (seminal show, great opening theme) and Space: 1999 (lousy show, great opening theme). I used to just love all the different types of space planes in The Thunderbirds.

Music: A Mulholland Christmas Carol (2002 Original Los Angeles Cast): “Our Owens Valley Song”