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There is a direct correlation between the level of happiness in one's life and the amount of silliness you allow into it.

~Leigh Standley

So... what are you waiting for? Find that silliness!

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If it takes a king to shut Chávez up, He appears to be keeping the dissent in check on the home front as well. King Juan Carlos’ words at the Ibero-American Summit set off a furore with consequences -- potentially both economical and very costly politically: raising issues with the intentional meaning of His remarks amongst the 200^th anniversary of self rule for the Spanish colonies.

Renown writer and philosopher Fernando Savater wrote in El País 16 November 2.007, Spain lost a measure of influence in Ibero-America as a result of the King's dismissal of Chávez: “until now, the King had executed a role that was officious and nearly paternal, as historic head of the Ibero-American Commonwealth. That function will become improbable, if not impossible, from now on." Obviously not just in IberoAmerica, but also on the Iberian Peninsula as well.

The Honourable José María Vazquez Honrubia of the National Court handed down a guilty verdict of insulting the Spanish royal family against two college students, Jaume Roura and Enric Stern. This was the same investigating magistrate that also fined two cartoonists for depicting Crown Prince Felipe engaging in sexual congress with his wife on the cover of a magazine.

The two University of Gerona students, accompanied by a large crowd of relatives, friends and supporters, gathered outside the High Court building in Madrid where the hearing took place: both pleaded guilty— Stern doused three photos with gasoline and Roura set them on fire. They claimed their actions as protest against the monarchy. Their attorney Benet Salellas, argued their conduct as "an exercise in freedom of expression whereby they wanted to demonstrate their rejection of the monarchy." Salellas further indicated his clients will appeal against the ruling.

Prosecutors sought a 15-month prison sentences for the two young men, however, in his ruling, Judge Vázquez-Honrubia said it would be better for the two to pay a fine so they learn "they can have whatever ideas they want, but they cannot attack the basic institutions of the state."

Their preliminary hearing was suspended for some 10 minutes when the two accused refused to answer questions in Spanish, and the search began for a Catalonian interpreter as the court reporter could not speak the language and would be unable to take notes. At the proceeding, the judge said he spoke Catalonian, and said the audio tapes of the session could be transcribed at a later stage. Like other Spanish regions, Catalonia has its own language and distinct culture and is home to strong nationalist sentiment.

Police arrested 19 others for burning royal images at a demonstration held at the scene of the original protest in support of the two protestors on 22 September 2.007. They await being informed if charges will be filed.