Can things get any dumber? Don’t answer that question.
 “There are millions of people around this world praying to their God – whether it’s Hindu, Buddha, Allah — that [McCain’s] opponent wins for a variety of reasons,” Pastor Arnold Conrad said. “And, Lord, I pray that you would guard your own reputation, because they’re going to […]

Posted in Current events, News, Politics, religion 1 Comment »

With the world markets doing what they’re doing at the moment, it’s no wonder that past crashes and bubbles are being discussed a lot on the Intarwebz. The Tulip Bubble in particular has been getting a lot of attention, maybe because it just seems so nuts now that we’re used to seeing financial madness mostly […]

Posted in Current events, Europe, Finance, Politics No Comments »

As a US expat I have the delightful opportunity to vote by mail in national and state elections (for expats they use your last state of residence, which for me is California), and I cast my vote last week. There’s a strange satisfaction about being able to walk down to the mailbox in our local village, slide in […]

Posted in Current events, Home life, Politics No Comments »

Oh dear. Yesterday the Archbishops of Canterbury and York condemned London-based brokers who indulged in short selling as “bank robbers and asset strippers” and accused them of “generating unimaginable wealth … by equally unimaginable levels of fiction”.
But now it turns out that the Church of England has been quite willing to sell short and hedge […]

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Well, not too far beyond, we hope.
 I’ll sure be watching this on the lunchtime news…
(ETA:   Postponed to Sept. 26 due to cloud / bad weather in France.)

Posted in Current events, Europe, News, Science, Technogeekery, Travel 1 Comment »

(If you can’t see the YouTube video embedded below, go here.)

(courtesy of Mark Evanier’s news from me)
Tags: presidential, candidate, if+only, palin

Posted in Current events, Fantasy and science fiction, Humor, Media, Politics No Comments »

Finally…

After four months of deliberating, Judge Robert Patterson has ruled that the H.P. Lexicon infringes J.K. Rowling’s copyright in the Harry Potter series.

The decision proper is here (.PDF file).
Briefly: yay.
 
 
Tags: J.+K., JK, J.K., Rowling, RDR, Books, Judge, Robert+Patterson, Harry+Potter, Lexicon

Posted in Current events, Fantasy and science fiction, News No Comments »

Here, try this on for size.
Random House Children’s Books has agreed to remove a four-letter swearword from a popular book by Dame Jacqueline Wilson after complaints from Anne Dixon, who insists she is standing up for values of common decency.
The 55-year-old said she was horrified when she came across the expletive in the best-selling book […]

Posted in Current events, News, Writing No Comments »

This popped up earlier in the month, but I was busy and didn’t notice. (Possibly a good thing: that’s three weeks less spent fuming.)
A major publisher is starting to insert this clause in its boilerplate contracts for young adult writers:

If you act or behave in a way which damages your reputation as a person suitable to […]

Posted in Current events, Media, Writing No Comments »

— if Fox has its way? A federal judge has denied Warner Bros.’ motion to dismiss 20th Century Fox’s current lawsuit against it, claiming that Fox still owns rights in the Watchmen project dating back to the 1990’s. And the release of “Watchmen” is presently scheduled for March ‘09.
This one could get very messy. (Side […]

Posted in Comics, Current events, Film and TV, Media 1 Comment »

Michael Moore begs Barack Obama to denounce him.
 
Tags: Michael+Moore, Barack+Obama, denunciation

Posted in Current events, Humor, Media, Politics No Comments »

Yesterday, [his attorney] said his client asked for a copy of [Josepha Sherman’s and Susan Shwartz’s] Star Trek novel “Vulcan’s Forge.”
Tags: Star+Trek, Vulcan’s+Forge, Clark+Rockefeller, Christian+Gerhartsreiter

Posted in Current events, Fantasy and science fiction, News No Comments »