Gina Piccalo wrote a piece for the Los Angeles Times Magazine about ayahuasca ceremonies in Southern California. People pay $200 to have ayahuasqueros come to their house and guide them through the psychedelic ritual.

Cortejo sez, "Irony Chan is trying to figure the terminal velocity and weight of a Balrog. She has gotten quite far." Link (Thanks, Cortejo)

Arkansas artist Eugene Sargent was commissioned to make an orrery, a mechanical system that demonstrates the motion of the planets in our solar system. The just-finished device is absolutely marvelous. Make sure you follow the link to see the detail photos. From Sargent's project page:

A Boing Boing reader says: "This a first-person account of a raid that took place at a home poker game on Saturday. About ten officers in riot gear ran in with guns drawn. Afterwards they took the homeowner's 13 year old and put them into child protection services. Apparently an officer went "undercover" for a few months before the raid. The reason for the raid was a $5 food and drinks chip-in, apparently you can't charge any fee, even if you're spending more than that on food and drinks and cards. No one ever contacted the homeowner and warned them not to collect any fee.