One way to live your life well is to imagine at any given point that archeologists are unearthing your remains, scouring the buried remnants of your home. What conclusions would they draw about you from the traces you've left behind? "Ah, this man," the fellow with the cosmetic brush thinks, dusting off a layer of earth from your bookcase, "was a scholar, one of the elite, a...hello?" [reading] "'Who Moved My Cheese'?" He shakes his head and back-fills the dig. "Nothing of interest here. Move on, boys."

Give 'em something worth the effort.

And Their Point Is?

The San Francisco financial district is having problems today. Shortly before noon, "hundreds of anti-war marchers" descended on the area, "blocking streets and snarling traffic" in a move guaranteed to infuriate thousands of unhappy people just trying to get through a day's work.

Here's the local branch of "Easter Island Moa Against Capitalism." This isn't exactly civil disobedience—because exploiting the fragility of our social system is all too easy, and knowing that you've flung a spanner into the gears of commerce is a cheap thrill likely to only make you hated and despised while drumming up support for whatever it is that you oppose. Bad show, people.

Protesters sitting in the street have also blocked San Francisco Municipal Railway busses, trolleys and street cars along Market Street between Van Ness Avenue and First Street. A Muni spokesman says to expect major delays.

Then again, neither do the breakaway organizers. They just put out the call, tell people to wear black clothing and a mask, and see who shows up.

Elizabeth Smart and Stockholm Syndrome?

I know you're tired of reading about the Smart case but I wanted to ask a question. Some people are wondering why Elizabeth didn't make a break for freedom when the opportunity arose and isn't the answer like to be associated what we've learned about Stockholm Syndrome?

This picture was snapped by a tourist who thought the fugitive family was weird-looking. We agree. Obviously, if Elizabeth was this close to someone taking pictures, she could have bolted. The Today Show on NBC didn't mention Stockholm Syndrome but did have an interview with Patty Hearst, who did a good job of explaining why she began to bond strongly with her SLA captors following her own abduction. Here's a noteworthy quote from one of the police officers who rescued Elizabeth:

"We kept telling her, do this for your family, do this for yourself. Do the right thing—we know you're Elizabeth Smart," said Sergeant Victor Quezada.

Smart responded with a biblical quote, "Thou sayest."

Pocket Change

I'm sure that Don Johnson has a reasonable explanation for why he was driving around Germany with $8 Billion in a briefcase.

Problem is, I can't think of one. According to the latest on this, he claims he was acting as the producer for a film and the documents were only financing papers. Now if were were talking, oh, $20 million or so, I could see that, but $8 billion? Here's Joerg Groener of Baden-Wuerttemberg customs:

"There's a reasonable suspicion that Mr. Johnson was working for others. If everything is legal, you don't have to transport documents worth this amount in a car."

3:16:18 PM