There’s a rumor that the Homeland Security Threat Advisory System of colors and threat levels will be discontinued.

I’m sorry to announce that, should that prove to be the case, the Persistent Illusion Magical Lucky Charms level will also cease to be.

Requiescat in pace.

Having grown up going to bed with Johnny Carson, it’s sad to think that he’s really gone, now. None of the other late-night hosts have ever been as good, in my opinion.

Goodnight, Johnny.

At least it wasn’t this cold here!

Ottawa is in the grip of an intense cold spell; so intense that house have started making loud cracking noises. The noises have been so loud that worried Ottawans have been calling the police to report burglaries, gunfire and noisy neighbors.

Ottawa Police spokeswoman Monique Ackland said that one possible reason for the loud noises is exploding nails.

Now that’s cold!

Two stories from Rio de Janeiro today:

A bill passed yesterday by the Rio state legislative assembly makes it illegal to sell some aromatic solvents and… shoe glue. It seems that shoe glue is a fairly “fun” substance and too many people are taking advantage of its narcotic properties. A wave of muggings by gangs is apparently being blamed on shoe glue sniffing by street kids.

I wonder if there are a lot of shoemakers in Rio? And if so, are they “happy” in their work? And what will they now do for glue, since the ban applies also to shoemakers until a regulatory process can be worked out?

Shoe glue was not on the agenda for six Brazilian men when they robbed a drug store in Rio last Sunday. They were after the drugs used to treat erectile dysfunction… Viagra, Cialis and Levitra. These drugs are sold without prescription in Brazil.

Perhaps that’s the source used by all those spam messages cluttering up my spam-collector email address? I’d prefer a trip to Rio.

What if your apartment commanded a 360-degree view, and you never had to move from your favorite chair in order to take it all in? If you lived in Suite Vollard in Curitiba, Brazil, that’s exactly what you could do.

Suite Vollard is a new 11-story apartment building in eco-friendly Curitiba. Each floor is a single, 3000-sq-ft, $300,000 apartment. And each floor rotates independently through a full 360 degrees. Think of the top of the Space Needle in Seattle, except its every floor that rotates, not just the top of the building. The floors can rotate in either direction and at varying speeds. “Slow” speed gets you around the full circle in about an hour.

Each floor is faced in four different colors of glass: Silver, green, bronze and blue. As the floors turn independently of each other, different effects on the facade of the building are created by the changing colors.

The central part of the building, which houses the kitchen, bathroom, and other utilities does not turn. Lights, air conditioning and the revolving can be turned on and off via a control panel, a remote control or verbally.

The building is located in a residential neighborhood of Curitiba called Ecoville. The tower was the latest addition to Curitiba’s cutting-edge urban planning, which includes a much-copied transit system.

Suite Vollard is the world’s only revolving building. And I think it’s pretty cool. Considering what you get, $300K for 3000 square feet seems like a fairly reasonable price. I hesitate to even guess what these apartments would go for here in Stumptown.

Click on the pics to embiggen. More pictures are available here.

Mom’s take on Suite Vollard: