Thanks to
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. Just so you know, you aren’t the only one who’s singing.
Dude, the Website is Down
Anyone who has worked IT, a help desk, or any other customer service should watch this.
Happy Friday!
Lucky Mr. Black isn’t still around…
He shouldn’t be allowed around books like this…
Arrived in the mail today. I haven’t read a word yet, but even if it’s just drivel, it’ll make a great prop. If you want one of your own, just click this link.
(
, I’ll let you know if it’s worth borrowing/buying.)
Justice Department Looked For Liberal “Buzz Words” On Resumes
WASHINGTON — Ivy Leaguers and other top law students were rejected for plum Justice Department jobs two years ago because of their liberal leanings or objections to Bush administration politics, a government report concluded Tuesday.
In one case, a Harvard Law student was passed over after criticizing the nomination of Samuel Alito to the Supreme Court. In another, a Georgetown University student who had previously worked for a Democratic senator and congressman didn’t make the cut.
Even senior Justice Department officials flinched at what appeared to be hiring decisions based _ improperly and illegally _ on politics, according to the internal report.
___
I can hear the response now: “Clinton did the same thing!”
Ok. And I bet all those Republicans (who are now defending the Bush Administration) were bitching up a storm when he did it, too.
I cannot believe these people consider “He started it!” as a valid argument.
But, okay. Let’s do that. Let’s give the old Washington cliche a spin: “Everyone is doing it.”
Everyone is doing it.
Everyone is doing it.
Everyone is doing it.
Well, here’s the deal. First, it’s illegal. That is, against the law.
You know what else is against the law?
How about drunk driving?
How about copyright violation?
How about racial discrimination?
How about sexual discrimination?
How about theft?
How about murder?
How about rape?
You know how many women are raped in this country every day?
Everyone is doing it.
You know how many children are sexually abused in this country every day?
Everyone is doing it.
You know how many senior citizens are robbed of their savings every day?
Everyone is doing it.
Everyone is doing it.
Everyone is doing it.
Everyone is doing it.
Everyone is doing it.
Everyone is doing it.
Everyone is doing it.
Everyone is doing it.
Everyone is doing it.
Everyone is doing it.
Just keep saying that to yourself. Over and over and over again.
Maybe, someday, you’ll honestly believe it.
Buying ISBNs
I’m buying ISBNs for Houses of the Blooded and new editions of my previous WD books.
Anybody got any advice on buying batches?
James Dobson Accuses Obama Of ‘Distorting’ Bible
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — As Barack Obama broadens his outreach to evangelical voters, one of the movement’s biggest names, James Dobson, accuses the likely Democratic presidential nominee of distorting the Bible and pushing a “fruitcake interpretation” of the Constitution.
___
Aren’t we fortunate that God provided a clear, concise and perfect document to let us know exactly what his message is? You know, a message that nobody could distort or misinterpret? Because everyone has freewill, they can either accept or reject God’s perfect word, no matter how perfect it is, right? And it’s absolutely impossible to get it wrong. I mean, it’s not like we have any different versions of the Bible: there’s only one version. The version God gave us; the version that could never be mistranslated, right?
Right?
Ah, what a kind and generous God He is that He would give us such a thing. After all, if He gave us a Bible that could be mistranslated or misinterpreted, there could be hundreds of different translations and interpretations… and only an evil, malicious, conniving God would do that. After all, such a thing–an imperfect Bible–could cause confusion, hatred, and even (gulp!) violence among God’s followers.
And because He’s a kind, generous and understanding God, He would never do that, right?
Right?
Thank You, George
You taught me humor could be smart, disobedient and–most importantly–it could change people. Even your fart jokes were subversive. Carefully crafted to undermine authority.
You changed me. You saved me. Joe bless you.
UN: Muslim countries win concession regarding religious debates
* UN body says only religious scholars should be allowed to discuss
matters of faith
GENEVA: Muslim countries have won a battle to prevent Islam from being criticised during debates by the UN Human Rights Council. Religions deserve special protection because any debate about faith is bound to be “very complex, very sensitive and very intense”, council President Doru-Romulus Costea said Wednesday.
Scholars: Only religious scholars should be allowed to discuss matters of faith, he told journalists in Geneva.
___
Most folks I know are crying foul about this. Me? I think it’s great.
UN: Mr. Ambassador, why does your country mutilate the genetalia of its children and brutually murder its women?
Ambassador: This is a religious issue and we shall not make a comment on it.
UN: Very well, if you have no reply for why you are comitting these human rights violations, I hereby vote to have you removed from the United Nations.
Ambassador: No! This is religious discrimination.
UN: I’m sorry, Ambassador, but we are not allowed to discuss your religion here in the UN. All in favor?
McCain and Obama FactCheck
(You can read the originals at FactCheck.org)
McCain has spent the week focusing on energy policy, making some surprising, and inaccurate, statements.
Among them:
- He said that ending a moratorium on offshore oil drilling “would be very helpful in the short term in resolving our energy crisis.” But according to a government report, offshore oil wouldn’t have much of an impact on supply or prices until 2030.
- McCain tried to paint Obama as an opponent of nuclear power, yet Obama has said he is open to nuclear energy being part of the solution and has supported bills that contained nuclear subsidies.
- He has soft-pedaled the “cap” portion of his cap-and-trade proposal for greenhouse gases, even denying that it would be a mandate. The cap is a mandatory limit, however, and McCain even says so on his Web site.
- McCain’s new ad, running this week, rightly says that he bucked his party in supporting action on climate change years ago. But its images of windmills and solar panels are misleading in that he supports subsidies for nuclear power, which isn’t pictured, and opposes them for wind and solar energy.
- McCain continues to say that a suspension of the federal gas tax will lower prices for consumers, though hundreds of economists say he is wrong.
Meanwhile…
Obama says his health care plan will garner large savings – $120 billion a year, or $2,500 per family – with more than half coming from the use of electronic health records. And he says he’ll make that happen in his first term.
We find his statements to be overly optimistic, misleading and, to some extent, contradicted by one of his own advisers. And it masks the true cost of his plan to cover millions of Americans who now have no health insurance.
- Obama cites a RAND study that found widespread use of electronic health records could save up to $77 billion a year in overall health care spending. But the study says that level of savings won’t be reached until 2019, when it projects 90 percent of hospitals and doctors would be using electronic records systems.
- Much could be done to speed up the adoption of electronic record-keeping. But experts, including the lead researcher on the RAND study, are extremely doubtful the U.S. could see widespread adoption in the first term of an Obama presidency, or even a second term. Even a campaign adviser acknowledges Obama’s plan likely won’t reach the full savings potential until five years into implementation, by which time Obama could be out of office.
- Obama says he’ll “lower premiums by up to $2,500 for a typical family per year” by investing in electronic health records as well as other efforts. But his adviser tells us that $2,500 figure includes savings to government and employers that could, theoretically, lead to lower taxes or higher wages for families – so we shouldn’t necessarily expect insurance premiums that are “lower” by that amount.
- The RAND study on which the campaign partly bases its estimates is one of the only reports available on possible cost savings. It may well be correct – no one knows for sure. But it looks at potential savings in an ideal situation and recently has faced criticism.
Many, if not most, health care experts and professionals agree that the use of electronic health records or health IT would have various benefits, in terms of quality of care as well as spending. But doctors and hospitals in the U.S. have been slow to adopt it for several reasons. Whether Obama can effectively bring about widespread adoption and large savings is an open question and not as concrete as his pronouncements imply.
Houses of the Blooded: Better Update
I think it is safe to say that by the end of July, folks will have physical copies of their books.
I’m currently doing the final, last second, nose-to-the-grindstone, word-by-word readthrough of the book, picking out those nasty “printer gnomes”who avoid all other attempts to eliminate them from the book. I took a month off from reading it, letting my eyes get new to the text, and I’m eliminating all the stuff we didn’t find in previous editing sweeps.
Nasty, little annoying things.
Daniel just posted the Limited Edition cover on his LiveJournal (you can see it on mine as well through the above link) and he’s working on the backs of the covers now. Daniel should be done by Friday. That means the book goes to the printer either Friday or the following Monday.
As soon as I send the final .pdf to the printer, I’ll be sending it to all the pre-orders as well. This means pre-orders will most likely have the .pdf in their inboxes by this weekend.
The printer has told me they can print the LE and SE in two weeks after it’s been received. After that, it comes to me. I sign the books and send them off to the Indie Press Revolution guys in Reno, NV.
After the pre-orders are sent, the price of the book goes up to $45. It is currently still at $40.
That’s the full update.
I’m currently doing the final, last second, nose-to-the-grindstone, word-by-word readthrough of the book, picking out those nasty “printer gnomes”who avoid all other attempts to eliminate them from the book. I took a month off from reading it, letting my eyes get new to the text, and I’m eliminating all the stuff we didn’t find in previous editing sweeps.
Nasty, little annoying things.
Daniel just posted the Limited Edition cover on his LiveJournal (you can see it on mine as well through the above link) and he’s working on the backs of the covers now. Daniel should be done by Friday. That means the book goes to the printer either Friday or the following Monday.
As soon as I send the final .pdf to the printer, I’ll be sending it to all the pre-orders as well. This means pre-orders will most likely have the .pdf in their inboxes by this weekend.
The printer has told me they can print the LE and SE in two weeks after it’s been received. After that, it comes to me. I sign the books and send them off to the Indie Press Revolution guys in Reno, NV.
After the pre-orders are sent, the price of the book goes up to $45. It is currently still at $40.
That’s the full update.